Cristiano Ronaldo was seen inconsolable after Portugal's loss to the Atlas Lions in the Quarterfinals of the World Cup.
Many fans around the world were left heartbroken as almost everyone considered this to be his last dance at the biggest stage of football. A day after the loss, Ronaldo took to Instagram to share a heartfelt note where he wrote everything he felt.
He started by saying that winning the World Cup was the most ambitious dream of his career.
The Dream
"Winning a World Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of my career. Fortunately, I won many titles of international dimension, including Portugal, but putting our country's name on the highest foot in the World was my biggest dream," wrote Ronaldo.
He then wrote that he fought for that dream with everything he had.
The Fight
"I fought for it . I fought hard for this dream. In the 5 appearances, I scored in World Cups over 16 years, always by the side of great players and supported by millions of Portuguese, I gave my all. Leave it all out on the field. I never turned my face to the fight and I never gave up on that dream."
Addressing the elephant in the room, Ronaldo wrote that he knows that much has been said and written about him, but his dedication to Portugal hasn't changed a bit.
The Heartbreak
"Sadly yesterday the dream ended It's not worth reacting to heat. I just want you all to know that much has been said, much has been written, and much has been speculated, but my dedication to Portugal hasn't changed for a moment. I was always one fighting for the objective of all and I would never turn my back on my colleagues and my country."
He ended the note by saying Thank you to Portugal.
The Goodbye?
"Not much more to say for now. Thank you Portugal. Thank you Qatar. The dream was nice while it lasted. Here's hoping that everyone is able to draw their own conclusions."
Our own conclusions? Is Ronaldo hinting at international retirement? Time will tell.
