Gary Neville uses one word to describe the images of Cristiano Ronaldo walking in the tunnel after Morocco defeat

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No matter what has happened with Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United in recent months, it was difficult to see one of the greatest players of all time so emotional in the tunnel after Portugal’s defeat to Morocco.

Starting his second consecutive World Cup match on the bench with Selecao boss Fernando Santos once again preferring Goncalo Ramos over the 37-year-old, Ronaldo couldn’t drag his nation back into the match.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner came on five minutes into the second half but apart from forcing Bono into a save after being played in by Bruno Fernandes, United’s former number seven struggled to make an impact.

While Morocco made history in becoming the first African nation to reach the World Cup semi-finals, it seems all but certain that Ronaldo has played his last World Cup match.

Gary Neville uses one word to describe the images of Cristiano Ronaldo walking in the tunnel after Morocco defeat

Ronaldo’s longevity and ability to have stayed at top of the footballing mountain will likely be more appreciated when he calls time on his playing career.

But featuring in a sixth World Cup in 2026 when the free agent would be 41 doesn’t seem realistic.

Ronaldo’s former Manchester United teammate Gary Neville said it was a difficult watch seeing how emotional Portugal’s captain was at the end of the quarter-final defeat.

Speaking on the Gary Neville Podcast, United’s former right-back said: “I saw that image of him walking in the tunnel crying – that was a horrible image for me because that’s that moment when he knows his dream’s gone of winning the World Cup with his country.

“We’ve all been there at the end of our careers, but he’s one of the greatest if not the greatest and that was a horrible image to see him like that at the end of the game.

“He’s had a tough two or three months as well.”

Ronaldo, who turns 38 in February, is currently a free agent after he and the Red Devils mutually agreed to terminate his contract with immediate effect last month.