Blink and you miss it. But don’t worry, those rapidly-disappearing images that flashed on screen of a tearful Cristiano who ran down the tunnel at full time were made immortal thanks to thousands of screenshots that flooded social media in the aftermath of Morocco’s 1-0 win over Portugal.
As soon as the whistle went and an African nation made it to the World Cup semi-final for the first time in history, questions buzzed within the football community of whether or not that was the last time Cristiano Ronaldo had featured for Portugal at the World’s greatest tournament.
The ex-Manchester United player, who currently does not belong to any club, despite the rumours, has faced turmoil at every turn so far this season. Ronaldo’s club career veered off a cliff when he spoke out against the board and manager in a strange interview with Piers Morgan, and an agreement to terminate his contract with the club was subsequently arranged.
His international career came to something of a halt when boss Fernando Santos dropped him for the Round of 16 tie against Switzerland - which Portugal won 6-1 - thanks to a fantastic hat-trick from his young, fresh-faced replacement, Gonçalo Ramos.