Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup career ended in tears as Portugal lost 1-0 to Spain in the last 16, with Mikel Merino scoring in injury time. The 41-year-old five-time Ballon d'Or winner, who had announced this would be his final World Cup, scored a record 976 goals for clubs and country but never won the tournament, with his closest attempt being a semi-final in 2006. After the match, Ronaldo said he would meet with his family and take decisions with a calm head regarding his international future. BBC pundit Chris Sutton was highly critical of Portugal manager Roberto Martinez, accusing him of pandering to Ronaldo and calling the team's exit an "absolute embarrassment." Sutton described Ronaldo as "waddling around the field like a grandad" and said Portugal were out because of Martinez. Martinez announced he was leaving the job after the match, praising Ronaldo as a "football icon" and thanking him for his efforts. Ronaldo finished the tournament with three goals, but only four players had more shots than his 18. The recurring debate about whether Ronaldo should start for Portugal resurfaced, with critics suggesting he does not offer much else beyond scoring. The Portuguese squad includes several top players from Paris St-Germain and Manchester United, leading to questions about whether the team could have performed better without the pressure to start Ronaldo.
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