Cristiano Ronaldo’s dreams of capping his career in a blaze of glory come to an end, but a swathe of veterans and new talents remain on the hunt for the trophy
July 11, 2026
Across the Ocean
Sabir Mustafa
In the end, there was no dignified exit for one of the greatest footballers ever to grace a stadium. Portugal’s tame defeat to Spain on Monday brought down the curtain on Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup career, even possibly his 23-year long international career.
This clearly was not the ending the man known as CR7 had in mind.
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