Former India Cricket team captain Virat Kohli has come out in support of star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo after his Portugal side exited the ongoing FIFA World Cup on Saturday.
Ronaldo is now more likely to complete his career without a World Cup trophy as a result of Portugal’s elimination from the competition. The popular Portuguese player, who is now 37, was seen crying on Saturday and was warmly embraced by the crowd.
“No trophy or any title can take anything away from what you’ve done in this sport and for sports fans around the world. No title can explain the impact you’ve had on people and what I and so many around the world feel when we watch you play. That’s 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,” Virat posted on Twitter on Monday.
According to India Times, Ronaldo’s elimination from the competition means that he will likely miss out on winning the World Cup because the following time it is held in the USA, in 2026, he would be 41. The five-time Champions League champion was a substitute in all of his team’s knockout stage games as Fernando Santos decided against starting him.
While the great player has been struggling with his form, Virat has thrived in his position. On Saturday against Bangladesh, he was seen enjoying his 72nd ODI century. Virat moved up to second place in the list of players with the most hundreds at the international level with the tonne, passing Ricky Ponting, who had 71 hundred to his credit.
Similar to Ronaldo, the former captain of India might play in his final World Cup in the ODI format the following year as India gets ready for the major tournament. Contrary to Ronaldo, Virat did win the World Cup in 2011 when India defeated Sri Lanka in the championship game.
Lionel Messi is quietly going about his job as his Argentina team, who is in the final four and will play Croatia on Tuesday night, while all eyes are on Cristiano Ronaldo’s disappointment. Harry Kane, a close friend of Virat’s and the England captain, also experienced a disappointing departure when the English team fell to France.
