There are a lot of stars in the Qatar 2022 World Cup trying to win it all. Some of them arrived in great shape, although Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t part of the list. But there was no doubt that Portugal wasn’t going to be leave their captain out of the roster even if this one has been a bad season for the striker.
His return to Manchester United in 2021 didn’t end how he thought it would. However, the current year went even worse with the new head coach Erik ten Hag. Since the Dutch was hired, the Portuguese began to lose a place in the team. He had his fair share of responsibility as well with the interview he gave before the tournament started less than a month ago.
Now that Cristiano is out of the Premier League club, the goal for him is to help Portugal win. It seems that Fernando Santos may agree with ten Hag when it comes to his role given his latest choice, but CR7 will try to keep breaking records in his fifth tournament of this kind. Check out how it went for him in every one of them.
How did Cristiano Ronaldo play in each World Cup?
Qatar 2022
It has definitely been sort of a roller-coaster for the star. He broke a record by being the only player in the history to score in five different World Cups. Cristiano achieved that feat with a penalty against Ghana on Matchday 1. Although the tournament took a turn for him individually.
That was the only goal he scored so far after four games. Something even more notable was the starting lineup Santos used in the round of 16 vs Switzerland. The head coach left Ronaldo on the bench and the team won 6-1 with a hat-trick of his replacement. But even with that situation in mind for them, he shouldn’t be discarded.
Russia 2018
This tournament had a brilliant performance from him right in the beginning. In their tough opener against Spain, Ronaldo took over the game to face a good opponent. That was a 3-3 tie with the Portuguese striker scoring all three goals in an unforgettable match. He even got the equalizer in the 88th minute with an impeccable free kick.
Cristiano also showed up a few days later to give Portugal a 1-0 win over Morocco, though again it turned out to be an underwhelming journey for them. They finished in the second place of the group after a draw with Iran, but they had an acceptable pairing with Uruguay in the round of 16. The Portuguese were then eliminated in a 2-1 loss. That World Cup also stays as a memorable one for him because it was in the midst of his Real Madrid exit. He decided to go to Italy to play for Juventus.
Brazil 2014
If the World Cup in Russia was quite a disappointment for Portugal, the one in Brazil was a total failure. They had the challenge of playing against Germany in group G, but they were drawn with the USA and Ghana too. Their journey started with a 4-0 loss vs the Germans with a goal differential that was too costly.
The Portuguese saved a tie in the aggregate to tie with the USMNT, although that wasn’t enough for them. Cristiano scored his only goal of the competition in a 2-1 win over the Ghanaians on Matchday 3 that didn’t change anything. They were eliminated in the first round.
South Africa 2010
Portugal were drawn with Brazil in group G, so it wasn’t going to be an easy path. They started with a 0-0 against Ivory Coast, which was followed by a 7-0 victory over North Korea. Even though it was an historic scoreboard, Ronaldo just got the last one for the Portuguese. They qualified after another goalless draw vs Brazil with five points.
A clash with Spain was on the way for Cristiano. He knew a lot of their rivals given he was a Real Madrid player back then, but he couldn’t be a factor. The Spaniards won that game 1-0 in what was a championship run for them, while Ronaldo left with one goal.
Germany 2006
This was undoubtedly the best FIFA World Cup for Portugal in a while. It was actually their second-best result ever in a quest that took the team to the semifinals. They began being the leaders of group D with a perfect score facing Mexico, Angola, and Iran. Ronaldo scored a penalty kick in the 2-0 victory over the Iranians on Matchday 2 after being a starter in the first two games.
The round of 16 ended up becoming an epic battle with the Netherlands, where the Portuguese won 1-0. That game was one of the most violent ones in the modern era of the World Cup, and Cristiano will agree since he had lo leave the field in the first half after receiving a rough foul. But luckily for him he was able to get back for the quarterfinals.
That match had England on the other side of Portugal. It was a rivalry game for him since he was already in Manchester United, although it was also a memorable one. The clash finished without goals, though Ronaldo scored the last penalty in the shootout that sent the Portuguese to the semifinals. They followed that losing 1-0 to France and 3-1 to Germany in the third-place game. In all that was the best team performance so far.
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