Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup career is over. The 41-year-old forward played his final match in the competition on Monday when Portugal fell to Spain in the round of 16. Six tournaments. Zero titles. It’s a record he now shares with some of the greatest players to ever touch a ball.
Ronaldo has won everything else — Premier League, Champions League, European Championship, Ballon d’Or. But that golden trophy? It never happened. The closest Portugal came during his era was 2006, when they lost to France in the semifinals. After that it was round of 16 exits, one quarterfinal, and a group stage knockout. He joins an exclusive club of legends who dominated the sport but couldn’t quite get their hands on the World Cup.
Johan Cruyff came painfully close
The Dutch master almost had it in 1974. Netherlands reached the final against West Germany and took the lead early, inside two minutes. They still lost 2-1. Four years later the Dutch made the final again, but Cruyff wasn’t there. He had retired from international football in 1977 after a kidnap attempt targeting his family in Barcelona. He later became one of the most influential managers ever, winning Barcelona’s first Champions League. But he never managed the Dutch national team amid internal politics. Cruyff died in 2016 at 68.
Alfredo Di Stefano never even played in one
Di Stefano represented three countries — Argentina, Colombia (briefly, and controversially), and Spain — and still never appeared at a World Cup. He won five European Cups with Real Madrid and is considered one of the all-time greats. FIFA initially banned him for playing with an unsanctioned Colombia XI while Colombia was banned from international football. After he got Spanish citizenship in 1956, the ban was lifted. He helped Spain qualify for the 1962 World Cup at age 31, but an injury kept him out of the tournament entirely.
Paolo Maldini’s three heartbreaks
The Italian defender spent his entire career at AC Milan and won five Champions League titles. With the national team, he reached the 1990 semifinals on home soil and the 1994 final, where Italy lost to Brazil on penalties after a 0-0 draw. They lost on penalties again in 1998 and went out in the round of 16 in 2002. That was Maldini’s last tournament before retiring internationally. Three World Cup heartbreaks in a row.
Ferenc Puskas almost led the Mighty Magyars to glory
In 1954, Hungary was the best team in the world. They reached the final against West Germany in Switzerland. The game had four goals in the first 18 minutes. Then West Germany’s Helmut Rahn scored late to win 3-2. That Hungary team never played together at a World Cup again; many players fled after the Hungarian Revolution was crushed. Puskas refused to return home and ended up at Real Madrid, winning three European Cups. He became a Spanish citizen and played four times for Spain, including three matches at the 1962 World Cup.
No player has attempted more World Cups than Ronaldo. Six appearances, tied with Lionel Messi and Guillermo Ochoa for the most ever. But unlike Messi, who finally got his in 2022, Ronaldo leaves without the one trophy that separates the great from the immortal.
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