Cristiano Ronaldo is assessing his next club options, but World Cup hurt for sting a while longer.
Ronaldo came into the World Cup hoping to lead Portugal to glory but, after a tactical switch for the knock-out stages, he ended up as a substitute as his country was eliminated. Didi Hamann still has a bad taste in his mouth over the manner of his exit.
Following the Last 16 victory over Switzerland, Ronaldo walked around the pitch separate from his teammates, applauding fans, before being the first Portugal player down the tunnel.
In the quarter final, after Portugal were stunned by Morocco, their captain made a beeline for the tunnel without sticking around to console his crestfallen, younger teammates. A couple of Moroccan players tried to commiserate, but he stalked toward the tunnel, where TV cameras caught him in floods of tears.
Following Morocco’s 2-0 defeat to France in Wednesday’s semi-final, Hamann took an almighty schlep off Ronaldo for his post-match actions.
Achraf Dari of Morocco consoles Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal at the end of the World Cup quarter final. (Photo by Youssef Loulidi/Fantasista/Getty Images)Didi Hamann on Cristiano Ronaldo
The final whistle sounded in the semi-final and the Morocco players slumped to the ground in despair. They reached further than any other African nation in a World Cup, to date, but their 2-0 loss means they will now play in Saturday’s 3rd place playoff against Croatia.
Didi Hamann praised Morocco for bringing ‘the human side back to the World Cup’ before blasting Cristiano Ronaldo. He commented:
“You talk about these superstars, top earners, top players, and one of the greatest players, who left the scene about a week ago, in Ronaldo. He couldn’t even congratulate them, after the game.
“Morocco won that game, they did something historic, and he didn’t even have the dignity to congratulate them for what they had achieved.
“And now you watch them, and how they shake hands with the French, and the dignity and graciousness they show in defeat. Brilliant.”
FT 🇫🇷 2-0 🇲🇦
"I think they, in a way, brought the human side back to this World Cup…" – Didi Hamann pays tribute to Morocco after their defeat to France #FRAMAR
📺Watch the final live on @RTE2 & @RTEplayer this Sunday #RTEsoccer #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/lOq1MlBYaF— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) December 14, 2022
Ronaldo is said to be training at Real Madrid’s facilities as he plots his next move, after being released from his Manchester United contract.
As for Portugal, he insists he wants to play on until Euro 2024. We would not put it past him.
Related links:
- Former Miss Croatia reveals marriage proposals from players at World Cup
- Duff and Given combine for the best night of World Cup coverage RTE has had
- Roy Keane pays fitting tribute to Luka Modric before heartbreaking tunnel scenes
