New Delhi: Former Indian skipper Virat Kohli penned an emotional note for Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portugal forward’s World Cup dream ended.
Portugal crashed out of the 2022 World Cup following a 0-1 defeat against Morocco in the quarter-final.
“No trophy or any title can take anything away from what you have done in this sport and for sports fans around the world. 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,” Kohli wrote in an Instagram post.
“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.”
The defeat to Morocco was almost certainly the 37-year-old’s last appearance in football’s showpiece tournament. The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus star cut a distraught figure as he walked off the pitch in tears immediately after the final whistle.
Ronaldo, who has been capped 195 times and scored a record 118 goals for his country, will be 41 when the next World Cup begins in the United States, Canada and Mexico.