"These athletes bring prestige, pride...": Portugal PM hails men's national side after FIFA WC R16 run

Once again, Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo, the 41-year-old icon playing his last FIFA World Cup, saw their FIFA World Cup dreams sink in front of their eyes minute-by-minute as multiple chances went to waste and a 91st-minute strike from Mikel Merino proved to be the killer blow for the team, who had not made it into the last four since the 2006 FIFA World Cup, which marked Cristiano's debut.

Luis posted a picture of him hugging Cristiano, saying, "These athletes bring prestige and pride to Portugal. We fought until the end, and now we will face the future with ambition and confidence. Let's make things shine even brighter. Thank you, @portugal"

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Since Cristiano's debut at the grandest stage, Portugal has achieved fourth place in his debut tournament in 2006, followed by a round of 16 in the 2010 edition, then a group stage exit in 2014 and then another pre-quarterfinal exit in 2018. The 2022 edition saw Portugal doing slightly better, making it to the quarterfinals, but it was his long-time rival Lionel Messi who pretty much ended the 'GOAT' debates by capturing the prestigious trophy for Argentina and delivering a sensational performance in the final.

Cristiano's FIFA World Cup career ends with 27 matches (second most by a player) and just 11 goals, underwhelming for a player of his stature and level of club accomplishments. Heading into the tournament, there were a lot of questions around Cristiano's participation, but as an individual, he had a rather decent outing, with three goals in five matches in this edition. However, during his final match, he made an unfortunate record, recording 17 shots during a FIFA WC, without creating a single chance for his teammates, the most by any player.

The ongoing tournament co-hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico saw Cristiano break into the record books once again despite the dips and give the world a statement of his longevity.

Against Croatia in the round of 32, a match which Portugal won 2-1, CR7 became the first player in history to feature in a FIFA World Cup knockout match at the age of 41 or older. The match also marked a unique milestone, as it was the first in World Cup history to feature two outfield players aged 40 or above, with Ronaldo facing former Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric.

The appearance also saw him extend another record, as he became the oldest goalscorer in World Cup knockout history at 41 years and 147 days, further underlining his longevity and enduring impact at the highest level. This was also his first-ever FIFA World Cup knockout goal, removing a massive stain from his illustrious career.

Portugal started off with a dull 1-1 draw against DR Congo in the group stage, with Cristiano failing to make an impact and inviting a lot of criticism with his poor performance.

During the match against Uzbekistan, a 5-0 win, Ronaldo led Portugal's charge with two goals, while Nuno Mendes and Rafael Leao also found the net. An own goal involving Uzbekistan goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov further compounded the misery for Fabio Cannavaro's side as Roberto Martinez's men secured their first win of the tournament in emphatic fashion.

Ronaldo's brace saw him become Portugal's all-time leading scorer in FIFA World Cup history, taking his tally to 10 goals, surpassing Eusebio's record of nine. Eusebio, a Portuguese legend and 1965 Ballon d'Or winner, famously guided the team to third place at the 1966 World Cup. Behind Ronaldo and Eusebio, Pauleta is third on Portugal's World Cup scoring list with four goals.

Ronaldo also became the first player to score in six different FIFA World Cup tournaments, ending his 10-match goalless streak across major competitions (the FIFA World Cup and the Euro Championship). Portugal ended their group stage with an underwhelming goalless draw against Colombia. (ANI)