Indian cricketer Virat Kohli hailed Cristiano Ronaldo as the “greatest of all time” after the Portuguese football icon left the FIFA World Cup, perhaps for the last time, suffering a heartbreaking defeat to Morocco in the quarterfinal.
“You are for me the greatest of all time,” Kohli wrote on Instagram.
“No trophy or any title can take anything from what you have done in this sport and for sports fans around the world,” added the former India skipper.
At 37, Ronaldo, one of the all-time greatest of the game, could have played his last World Cup and will join those great players who did not win the quadrennial event.
In Qatar, Ronaldo has not had a fine run - scoring one goal against Ghana - and Portugal coach Fernando Santos benched him in two consecutive knock-out games after substituting him in the group game defeat against South Korea.
Kohli, who has recently ended his four-year wait for an ODI hundred against Bangladesh, further wrote about Ronaldo, “No title can explain the impact you have had on people and what I and so many around the world feel when we watch you play. That is a gift from god.
“A real blessing to a man who plays his heart out every single time and is the epitome of hard work and dedication and a true inspiration for any sportsperson. You are for me the greatest of all time,” Kohli added on his post with a goat and crown symbol.
The former Real Madrid player Ronaldo was apparently unhappy with Santos’ decision to bench him against Switzerland and Morocco. Although he did not utter a word about it, his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez slammed Santos for keeping him in the bench for the first half against Morocco.
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After the defeat, Ronaldo put his head down and started the long walk rubbing his eyes at the tunnel at Al Thumama Stadium.
There have been a lot of controversies surrounding Ronaldo at the Qatar World Cup right from the start. He arrived in Qatar after a controversial interview with Piers Morgan that led to the termination of his contract with Premier League side Manchester United.
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