REUTERS

Cristiano Ronaldo running to the tunnel in tears and as desolate as the football world has ever seen him will be the lasting image for Portugal fans looking back on the World Cup in Qatar. Ronaldo, a five-times Ballon D’Or winner, arrived with a mission to prove he could still make a difference. He ended the tournament, however, as a bench player and had no impact as a substitute in his team’s 1-0 quarter-final loss to Morocco on Saturday.

It was another tale of hope turned to disappointment, controversy and under-achievement on the biggest stage for Ronaldo, who was playing his fifth World Cup and hoping it would set him up for new opportunities after his departure from Manchester United.

Portugal are used to having Ronaldo as the centre of attention. He is one of the greatest forwards of all time, a figure so big he has raised the bar and lifted the standard of sport in his country.

Ironically, in a Portugal team full of stand-out players, Ronaldo fell victim to the abundance of options that coach Fernando Santos had at his disposal.

Portugal’s all-time leading scorer with 118 goals in 195 appearances, Ronaldo was benched for Tuesday’s 6-1 win over Switzerland and the 21-year-old Goncalo Ramos netted a hat-trick in only his fourth game for his country.