Going into the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a feud between Cristiano Ronaldo and his club Manchester United was sparked.
His popular interview with Piers Morgan raised a lot of issues concerning his relationship with his once beloved club.
However, the 37-year-old was determined to put the issue behind him in order to lead the Portuguese team in their quest to clinch the Mundial. For Ronaldo, this was probably his last chance to lift the world’s most prestigious trophy.
That dream was shattered by Morocco who beat Portugal 1-0 in the quarter finals of the world cup. Ronaldo, who came off from the bench, was seen in tears walking to the dressing room after the final whistle.
But how did he fare in the Qatar 2022 world cup?
Portugal were housed in Group H with Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea. Portugal’s first game was against Ghana. The talisman scored the first goal for Portugal and lasted 88 minutes. His penalty goal against Ghana made him the first player to score in five world cups. That was his only goal he scored in the tournament.
His second and third appearance came against Uruguay and South Korea. He played 82 and 65 minutes respectively.
In the knockout stages, Portugal whitewashed Switzerland 6-1 in the Round of 16. However, Ronaldo failed to score in the goal gallore. He only played 15 minutes.
He also came off the bench in their last game in the quarter finals against Morocco where they lost. He played 39 minutes.
Ronaldo has still failed to score a world cup in the knockout stages of the world cup.
In all, Ronaldo played 289 minutes and scored just a goal in the tournament. He started three games and came from the bench twice.