Ronaldo made his World Cup debut in Germany 20 years ago, scoring his first World Cup goal from the penalty spot against Iran. During this year's tournament, he became the first player ever to score in six consecutive World Cups, when he scored the opening goal against Uzbekistan.
On Monday, the final chapter was written when Portugal fell to neighboring Spain in the round of 16 in the United States.
But there was no big, colourful final show. For Ronaldo, Portugal or Spain. The match was largely devoid of scoring chances.
Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal had a clear chance in the eighth minute, but lifted the ball wide.
Nuno Mendes came very close to giving Portugal the lead after 41 minutes when he shot the ball past Pedro Porro, but the ball hit the crossbar.
Otherwise, nothing happened in the way of a chance until the 90th minute - when substitute Mikel Merino struck. The Arsenal player had only been on the pitch for six minutes when he scored.
Fernando Torres played Merino into the penalty area and the Spaniard made no mistake.
Ronaldo's Portugal made a last-ditch effort and managed to create a fine chance when Silva, the smallest player on the pitch, had the chance to head in an equaliser, but the ball just went over.
The World Cup is over for Portugal. Whether the national team's career is over for 41-year-old Ronaldo remains to be seen. It is clear that he has done his bit in the World Cup.
