“Now is not the time to talk about the future of Cristiano Ronaldo or Pepe,” said 39-year-old reserve captain Pepe. “We are all very sad that we didn’t win.” Ronaldo himself did not give any interviews after his tearful departure, the superstar only spoke up a day late.
“Winning a World Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of my career,” wrote the 37-year-old on Instagram in his first public reaction to the defeat. “Unfortunately, the dream ended yesterday. Luckily I’ve won many international titles, including for Portugal, but representing our country’s name at the top of the world was my biggest dream. I fought for that.”
FIFA World Cup 2022: Best of Morocco – Portugal
Morocco made football history with a 1-0 win over Portugal. Walid Regragui’s team is the first team from Africa to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup. The acclaimed match winner in the quarter-finals in Doha was Youssef En-Nesyri after a goalkeeper error by Diogo Costa (42nd). Even superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who came again as a “joker”, could no longer prevent the defeat.
As a “joker” helpless
It was Ronaldo’s last chance to crown his impressive career with the World Cup title. Before the statement on Sunday, the player without a club had never said it so clearly, but that he would be at the 2026 World Cup again at the age of 41 was unlikely. His performances in Qatar were also too disappointing, where he twice came on as a wild card in the knockout stages but was unable to exert any influence. Like the entire Portuguese team, he looked helpless against Morocco. In a total of 570 minutes of action in knockout games at the World Cup, he went without a goal.
It is also questionable whether Pepe and national coach Fernando Santos will take on the upcoming tournaments with Portugal after the disappointing World Cup. “I’ll talk to the president calmly about the contract issue,” said Santos, whose contract runs until 2024.
The extremely talented Portuguese side, with players like Goncalo Ramos (21), Joao Felix (23) and Diogo Dalot (23), fell far short of their potential at this World Cup. Especially against the defending and extremely strong Moroccans, the team acted far too unimaginative. “Of course the players are unhappy and disappointed,” said Santos. Santos rated his team’s performance as “good” despite the elimination, which Ronaldo was unable to prevent after his substitution in the 51st minute with a weak performance.
Santos has no regrets
“The defeat isn’t fair, but that’s football,” he lamented. For Ronaldo, his fifth World Cup ended in bitter disappointment. The five-time world footballer set the world record of Kuwait’s Badr al-Mutawa with his 196th international match. But that shouldn’t have meant much to “CR7” that evening. “Two people were particularly disappointed: Cristiano Ronaldo and I, of course it hits us. But that’s part of the game,” said Santos later.
Ronaldo’s late substitution? “I have no regrets,” said the 68-year-old in a firm voice. “He came on when we thought it was necessary.” The girlfriend of Portugal’s soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo saw things differently: Georgina Rodriguez heavily criticized Santos via Instagram. With Ronaldo, he put the “strongest weapon” on the bench and substituted too late. “Today your friend and coach made a bad decision,” she wrote.
Ronaldo now looking for a club
Ronaldo remains in Qatar with his family and some team-mates while the rest of Portugal’s squad has already returned home. After returning to Portugal, he will probably first take care of his immediate personal future. He has been without a club since leaving Manchester United shortly before the World Cup. He is reportedly on the receiving end of a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia, but the five-time world footballer may prefer to continue his career at the top level in Europe.
FIFA World Cup 2022, Quarterfinals
Saturday:
Morocco – Portugal 1:0 (1:0)
Doha, Al Thumama Stadium, 44,198 spectators, SR Facundo Tello (ARG)
Tor: 1:0 En-Nesyri (42.)
Morocco: Bounou – Hakimi, El Yamiq, Saiss (57./Dari), Attiatallah – Amrabat, Ounahi, Amallah (65./Cheddira) – Ziyech (82./Aboukhlal), En-Nesyri (65./Benoun), Boufal (82 ./Jabrane)
Portugal: Costa – Dalot (79./Horta), Dias, Pepe, Guerreiro (51./Cancelo) – Neves (51./Ronaldo), Otavio (69./Vitinha) – B. Silva, B. Fernandes, J. Felix – Branches (69./Leo)
Yellow card: Cheddira (93rd/repeated foul play)
Yellow cards: Dari or Vitinha
