For all his records, Ronaldo could not crack the World Cup

July 6 : Cristiano Ronaldo spent more than two decades deciding matches, dragging teams through difficult moments and defying time itself to remain among soccer's elite even past his Real Madrid, Manchester United and Juventus prime.

Yet the one prize that always slipped through his grasp remained out of reach on Monday, as the 41-year-old bowed out of a sixth World Cup with tears in his eyes after Portugal's 1-0 defeat by Spain in the round of 16.

Portugal's hopes ended in painful fashion as Mikel Merino struck in the 91st minute to give Spain a 1-0 victory in Arlington, a day after a relaxed Ronaldo announced that this would be his last World Cup.

Leaving a press conference to applause from journalists on Sunday, he insisted he had no regrets about a career that has stretched the boundaries of longevity.

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez celebrated his commitment to soccer after the match, describing him as an icon of the sport.

"We will always be grateful for what he tried to do at this World Cup, because the dream was to win the World Cup and he tried with an incredible example of leadership as a captain," Martinez said.

"This is not the moment to look beyond what we're talking about: a soccer icon. There are not many Cristiano Ronaldos."

27 MATCHES, 11 GOALS

Ronaldo's World Cup record includes 27 appearances and 11 goals. Fittingly, his only knockout-stage goal came last week to help Portugal eliminate Croatia, briefly keeping alive the dream that had accompanied him since his debut in 2006.

That first World Cup also produced his deepest run. At 21, Ronaldo was part of the Portugal side that reached the semi-finals before falling to France.

In the quarter-finals, he calmly converted the decisive penalty in a shootout victory