YouTuber iShowSpeed could not hold back the tears tears after watching his idol Cristiano Ronaldo play his final World Cup match, breaking down on stream as Portugal crashed out of the 2026 tournament.
Spain beat Portugal 1-0 in a tense round of 16 clash on Monday, July 6, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas. Substitute Mikel Merino scored the only goal in the first minute of second-half stoppage time, finishing off a pass from Ferran Torres after Portugal failed to clear their lines following a foul. The win sent Spain into the quarterfinals, where they will face the winner of USA against Belgium on Friday in Inglewood, California.
Ronaldo had confirmed before the match that this would be his last World Cup. He came closest to scoring in the 37th minute, when a Joao Felix header deflected off Unai Simon’s shoulder and fell to him, but his flicked effort lacked the pace to beat the Spanish goalkeeper. Simon extended his World Cup record to 609 minutes without conceding a goal, and Spain became the first team in tournament history to keep six straight clean sheets.
iShowSpeed has followed Ronaldo and Portugal throughout the tournament and was in the stadium for the defeat. Visibly emotional, he sank to the floor after the final whistle. Fighting back tears, he said, “I thought they was gonna win it all, man. I thought they was gonna win it all, I swear to God, Wallahi.” He added, “I prayed. I prayed. I prayed, I prayed, and I prayed. I prayed… my prayers wasn’t answered.”
Before leaving the stadium, Speed delivered a message to Ronaldo. “Ronaldo, I love you,” he said. “I’m so sorry that you lost the World Cup. I’m sorry. I was cheering for you.”
Ronaldo addressed reporters after the game and reflected on the result. “I’m sad to leave the World Cup this way,” he said. “As I said yesterday, I gave it my all, and I leave with a clear conscience. That’s the life of a footballer. You have to move forward.” He confirmed his World Cup career had ended but left his international future open. “It was my last World Cup, yes,” he said. “But as for the rest, there’s time to think, to be with my family, and not say things in the heat of the moment.”
Speed’s reaction quickly went viral, drawing a mix of sympathy and mockery online. One fan wrote, “Quick, quick! Now film me pretending to cry!” Another posted, “We are all devastated with Cristiano Ronaldo gone from Portugal and the World Cup.” A third joked, “Hahaha, this guy is the most jinxed person on the planet.” Others were harsher, with one writing, “5 World Cups, 0 knockout goals, 100% tears. This is your king?” and another adding, “Looks like he chose the wrong GOAT.”
The night took another turn as Speed left the stadium. A Lionel Messi fan shouted the Argentine star’s name in his direction, and Speed lost composure, trying to confront the fan before bodyguards stepped in and moved him away.
Speed has been one of the most watched fan reactions of the tournament, having previously celebrated Ronaldo’s goals with tears of joy during the group stage.
Ronaldo finishes his World Cup career as Portugal’s all time leading scorer in the competition with 11 goals, three of them coming at this year’s tournament.
