Former India captain Virat Kohli took to social media to post a message to Cristiano Ronaldo after Portugual was knocked out of the World Cup by Morocco in the quarterfinal on Saturday.
At 37, this was possibly the last time Ronaldo was to appear at a World Cup. Should it be the case, Ronaldo will finish his international career without the World Cup trophy as well as not scoring a goal at the knockout stages of the tournament.
Fifa World Cup: Cristiano Ronaldo after Portugal’s exit from Qatar – ‘The dream ended’
“No trophy or any title can take anything away from what you’ve done in this sport and for sports fans around the world,” Kohli posted on his social media handles. “No title can explain the impact you’ve had on people and what I and so many around the world feel when we watch you play. That’s a gift from God.”
“A real blessing to a man who plays his heart out every single time and is the epitome of hard work and dedication and a true inspiration for any sportsperson. You are for me the greatest of all time.”
The North African nation came up with a stunning 1-0 win over Portugal to become the first team from the continent to make it to the semifinal of the World Cup.
But it signalled a potential end to Ronaldo’s quest for a World Cup title despite him becoming the first male player to score in five editions of the event. He had also led the national team to the European Championships title in 2016, but started on the bench in the round of 16 and quarterfinal in Qatar.
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