Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup journey is over — and with it, the final chapter of a career-long quest for international football's ultimate prize. Portugal's last-16 defeat to Spain brought an end to a sixth and final tournament for the 41-year-old, who was in tears at full-time as the weight of an unfulfilled ambition settled over him.

Ronaldo departs the World Cup stage holding the all-time record for the most tournaments in which he has scored — 11 goals across six editions — but without the one honour that would have completed his legacy. He will go down in history as, almost certainly, the finest player never to have won the World Cup.

A summer that told the full story

Portugal's exit against Spain exposed the uncomfortable truth about Ronaldo's role in this squad. Despite containing Premier League Player of the Season Bruno Fernandes, back-to-back Champions League winners Joao Neves and Vitinha in midfield, and a defensive unit anchored by Ruben Dias and Nuno Mendes, Portugal created little going forward — and Ronaldo was at the heart of that problem.

The numbers are stark. Across five World Cup matches, Ronaldo did not attempt a single dribble — a remarkable statistic for someone once considered among the most devastating attackers on the planet. Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha, also in his 40s, registered more dribbles at the tournament.

He fired 17 shots before producing one chance for a team-mate — a harmless blocked effort set up for Vitinha in the 75th minute against Spain. His Expected Assists figure across the entire tournament stood at just 0.01, a number that speaks to how far the elite game has moved on without him.

Flashes of the past, but not enough

There were moments that stirred memories of the old Ronaldo. He celebrated his brace in the 5-0 win over Uzbekistan by shouting