Cristiano Ronaldo has dropped a cryptic image on social media after Portugal crashed out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The beleaguered former Manchester United forward took to his Instagram story to share a telling seven-word image that has defined his reality.
With an underlined caption, ‘3 aspects of reality,’ he wrote under it ‘pain, uncertainty, and constant hard work.’
It is pretty clear his cryptic message is not unrelated to his 2022 World Cup experience – a painful and disappointing outing for the 37-year-old.
The cryptic message is coming a day after he penned a high-pitched and emotional response to Portugal round of 16 World Cup exit, where he addressed his international future, speculations on rumors of his rift and clash with the squad’s head coach, and his truncated World Cup dream.
While Portugal crashed out of the 2022 World Cup in the hands of Morocco, the spotlight was on the Manchester United forward.
Ronaldo fell out with Fernandos Santos in their last group game against South Korea when he was substituted. He had appeared to mutter angry remarks directed at the 68-year-old.
Santos dropped him to the bench in the 6-1 trashing of Switzerland in the round of 16. 21-year-old Benfica forward Goncalo Ramos was given the nod ahead of him, and he outperformed the Portugal captain.
Despite dropping the five times Ballon d’Or winner to the bench, Fernando Santos insisted the decision to leave him on the bench was not related to the fallout but a tactical move against the Swiss.
Ronaldo refused to join Portugal’s substitutes training after playing for just 20 minutes in the Switzerland game.
He also reportedly threatened to quit the squad in Qatar after he learned he would be benched in the game – a report he, Dos Santos, and Portugal FA later came out to deny.
In the quarterfinal clash against Morocco, Ronaldo saw first-hand his dream of winning the World Cup with Portugal’s national team smashed to smithereens.
He was on the bench in the game in the first half and was subbed on in the second half, but that changed nothing after the Moroccans took a first-half lead.
After the final whistle, he left the pitch with tears heading to the exit tunnel and penned a long emotional message on social media.
Ronaldo will likely live with the shock World Cup quarterfinal loss to Morocco for a while. Two days after his World Cup exit, Ronaldo has dropped a cryptic image on his IG Story. The Image comes from a recent Netflix documentary directed by Jonah Hill entitled; Stutz. It focuses on American psychotherapist Phil Stutz, who works on life improvement.
The former Manchester United forward talked about three pillars of reality, which, to him, are pain, uncertainty, and constant hard work.
This perfectly describes his recent travails in his football career. The pain of the World Cup exit, an uncertain future after it, and his decision never to give up by being hardworking.
Ronaldo is currently a free agent after his fallout with Manchester United. However, there are Saudi clubs lining up for him, but it appears the superstar is looking forward to continuing his career in the European topflight.
