UEFA Euro 2024 was a significant tournament for many reasons, one of which was the possibility that it might be Cristiano Ronaldo’s final appearance with Portugal. However, the toughest image of the tournament was the sight of Ronaldo in tears after Slovenia goalkeeper Jan Oblak saved his penalty in the Round of 16 extra time.
Speculation swirled about why the Portuguese superstar was so emotional, but Ronaldo put the rumors to rest during a candid conversation with Rio Ferdinand on his own YouTube channel.
“I cried the day I missed the penalty… but it wasn’t because I thought Portugal would be eliminated, or that the world would collapse on me if I didn’t score. It wasn’t about that,” Ronaldo explained.
“People don’t know me. Imagine scoring your last 27 penalties, and then suddenly, you miss one. You feel bad for yourself, for the fans who came to the stadium, for your kids, your mom, your girlfriend—everyone. That’s why I was sad,” he continued.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal is consoled by Diogo Dalot of Portugal after missing a penalty during the UEFA EURO 2024 round of 16 match between Portugal and Slovenia. Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
“So when things go wrong, you feel that. But I love that pressure; I know how to deal with it. But when I missed the penalty, I felt bad for myself, for the fans, for my family—not for anything else. You have to express yourself. For me, if you hide this stuff, you’re not being true to yourself,” Ronaldo concluded.
How many penalties has CR7 missed throughout his career?
Cristiano Ronaldo may be the all-time leading goal scorer in soccer history, but even he has missed a few penalties. Throughout his professional career, Ronaldo has missed a total of 30 penalties.
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Of these, 22 were missed while playing for his various clubs. He missed the most with Real Madrid (13), followed by Juventus (5), and Manchester United (4). Notably, he hasn’t missed any penalties with his current club, Al-Nassr.
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For Portugal, the captain has missed eight penalties. These include three in friendly matches, two in European World Cup qualifiers, two in the UEFA Euro (2016 and 2024), and one in the 2018 World Cup, where Portugal defeated Iran 1-0 in the group stage.
