Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo will play his sixth and final FIFA World Cup in 2026 at 41 years old. It's one more example of the astounding longevity that has powered his quest to score 1,000 goals. But in a career filled with success, records and joy, this tournament is the only painful exception.
The scale of CR7's World Cup frustration is such that he has continually changed his own expectations over the years. His impact on the Portuguese national team is significant -- he led Portugal to their first-ever titles at Euro 2016 and in the 2019 and 2025 UEFA Nations Leagues. But the most prestigious international competition has been a bridge too far for him, to the extent that last November he recanted on his longtime stance by claiming it is "not a dream" for him to win it.
That has not stopped him from trying still. And while he is no longer one of the best players on the planet as he was for so many years, he is still surrounded by what might be the best generation his country has produced in decades. His goal in North America, therefore, will be to correct course on a road marked by disappointment rather than illustrious moments.
Germany 2006: Standing on the shoulders of giants
By the time he made his World Cup debut, Ronaldo was on a steep upward trajectory within the national team. Only three years into his international career, he had earned a spot in a team dominated by what was then considered a golden generation, composed of stars like Rui Costa, Luis Figo, Deco and Ricardo Carvalho. He had also been through his first major frustration two years prior, when he reached the final of the Euros in his home country, only to lose to shock winners Greece.
At club level, he was already firmly established in Manchester United's starting XI, where, under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson, he was already considered a deliriously skillful winger, albeit with aspects of his game yet to develop.
Ronaldo's introduction was therefore considered somewhat of a formality. He played in two of Portugal's Group D games for a Luiz Felipe Scolari-led team that was not entirely convincing despite his stacked squad. He even scored his first goal in the competition with a penalty in a 2-0 win over Iran, which he celebrated euphorically,
As the Portuguese team progressed to a notable fourth place, Ronaldo was one of the best performers throughout those seven games. However, his most memorable moment was not a goal or anything he did with the ball on his feet, but when he loudly demanded club teammate Wayne Rooney be sent off for a step on Carvalho, and once the referee granted his request, the moment when the TV cameras caught him winking, causing a minor crisis in the English media. Portugal eventually reached the semifinals after winning a penalty shootout, but what looked like the promise of better results has so far never been matched.
South Africa 2010: The first major letdown
Four years later, what was once a promise had turned into a confirmation. Ronaldo was now CR7, crowned at Manchester United, a Ballon d'Or winner and the most expensive footballer of all time after sealing his move to Real Madrid. His rivalry with Lionel Messi was now firmly established, and the logical next step was to make an even bigger impression at the World Cup.
Still, his luck did not improve in South Africa as Portugal were going through a generational shift. He was able to score at the tournament, as opposed to his Argentine rival, but it was the final goal of a 7-0 rout of North Korea. That also turned out to be their only win in the competition: They were unable to break through Brazil or Ivory Coast and headed home after a round-of-16 defeat to eventual champions Spain. The wait for his crowning moment continued.
Brazil 2014: The lowest ebb
In the time between World Cups, Ronaldo grew even more as a footballer. His and Messi's goal-scoring numbers went right down to the wire, and he etched his name in Real Madrid folklore as one of the heroes of La Décima, their elusive 10th UEFA Champions League title. As if that was not enough, he also took Portugal's qualification into his own hands with an iconic showing in the playoffs against Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Sweden, where he scored a hat trick. The momentum was firmly with him.
But in Brazil, expectations met the crushing reality. The Paulo Bento-led team was crushed by Germany in its opener, a 4-0 loss that made group stage progress difficult from the get-go. A late Silvestre Varela goal for a dramatic 2-2 draw against the United States then avoided a shockingly early exit for Ronaldo and his teammates, although they no longer depended on themselves to make it out.
CR7 maintained his record of scoring at every World Cup he appeared in by notching the winner in a 2-1 victory over Ghana. Still, that was not enough to inspire his national team, which exited at the group stage for the first time in 12 years, before his international career had begun.
Russia 2018: More high and low points
Now a fully-fledged striker, Ronaldo came back from that setback in the best way possible. In 2016 he broke a historic duck to give his country its first international title at the Euros, which cemented his place in the history of the national team. Meanwhile in Madrid, he was going through the most successful period for his club in 60 years by conquering the Champions League three times in a row. That spectacular run of form suggested that, even at 33, he was going into the World Cup in 2018 in the best period of his career.
And after so many cumulative frustrations, Ronaldo started his campaign in Russia with his most stellar moment in the tournament so far. In a high-stakes debut against Spain, he scored a spectacular hat trick that culminated with an exquisite free kick in a 3-3 draw. He was also crucial to the country's first win, against Morocco, but barely prevented another early elimination in the final Group B game, against Iran, in which he also avoided a sending off for an elbow that was punished with only a yellow card.
Fernando Santos and his players' luck ran out quickly, though. A strong Uruguay team faced them in the round of 16 and confidently overcame them 2-1, which swiftly put an end to the dream of building on the success from two years prior.
Qatar 2022: An awkward debate
By the time his fifth World Cup rolled around, CR7's sporting prospects were less clear. His stint at Juventus and his return to Manchester United had been positive on an individual level, but less so on the collective, to the point where, days before Portugal's debut in Qatar, he confirmed his exit from the English club mired by controversy. And at 37, it all seemed to indicate that this might be his last chance to lift the title he wished for the most with his country.
His first game came with a new record for his vast collection: the penalty that opened the scoring for a 3-2 win over Ghana made him the first player to score in five different editions of the competition. But his performance levels dropped dramatically in the remaining two group games, with a 2-0 triumph over Uruguay and a 2-1 defeat to South Korea, and his disagreements with Santos led the manager to make the shocking decision of leaving him on the bench for the round-of-16 clash against Switzerland.
As a result, Portugal had their best game at the World Cup, beating their opponents 6-1, and Gonçalo Ramos, Ronaldo's replacement, shone with a hat trick. This led to doubts creeping in about whether the presence of the country's career goal-scoring leader, who could no longer count with the pace and dribbling skills of his younger days, was benefiting or detracting from the team.
But before that debate could continue, the team once again showed its weakest side in the following round, with a 1-0 loss to Morocco turning Portugal into the first country to lose to an African contender in the quarterfinals. Neither Ramos nor CR7, who walked to the dressing room in tears, were able to impose themselves in a squad bereft of ideas. What's more, in Qatar his perennial rival Messi had his moment of absolute glory with Argentina.
The discussion on Ronaldo's role in the Portuguese team only grew as the years passed. Another failure at Euro 2024 increased the pressure on new manager Roberto Martínez to give minutes to other talents from the country, although the Spaniard and CR7's teammates have fervently defended his contribution.
What is certain is that the striker does not want his tears at Al Thumama to be the last image attached to him in the tournament. And even though to the outside he insists that he does not have the same hunger to show his worth as before, his very presence at 41 years of age proves his ambition to try to get Portugal to the very top, and prove himself one final time.