Pele And LeBron James Send Messages To Cristiano Ronaldo After Portugal Legend Posts Statement Reflecting On World Cup Exit

Pele and LeBron James sent messages to Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portugal icon posted a statement on Instagram reflecting on the end of his World Cup career.

Cristiano Ronaldo posted a lengthy statement on Instagram less than 24 hours after Portugal were knocked out of the 2022 World Cup by Morocco.

Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Al Thumama Stadium will almost certainly prove to be Ronaldo's last ever appearance at a FIFA World Cup.

He scored eight goals in 22 games spread across five tournaments but was unable to succeed in his overall mission of winning the famous trophy.

In his statement on Sunday, Ronaldo expressed his disappointment at falling short on the biggest stage of all.

But he also said that he was proud of an international career that had seen him win a record-tying 196 caps, as well as helping to deliver European glory to Portugal, both at Euro 2016 and in the inaugural UEFA Nations League in 2019.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Ronaldo had threatened to leave the Portugal squad in Qatar after being benched for his side's 6-1 win over Switzerland in the round of 16.

Portugal later denied this and Ronaldo reiterated in his statement that his "dedication" to his country "has not changed, not for a moment".

The statement in full, translated from Portuguese, read: "Winning a World Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of my career. Fortunately I won many titles of international dimension, including with Portugal, but putting our country's name on the highest foot in the world was my biggest dream.

"I fought for it. I fought hard for this dream. In 5 appearances I scored in World Cups over 16 years, always by the side of great players and supported by millions of Portuguese people, I gave my all. Leave it all out on the field. I never turned my face from the fight and I never gave up on that dream.

"Sadly yesterday the dream ended. It's not worth reacting to heat. I just want you all to know that much has been said, much has been written, much has been speculated, but my dedication to Portugal has not changed, not for a moment. I was always one fighting for the objective of all and I would never turn my back on my colleagues and my country.

"Not much more to say for now. Thank you Portugal. Thank you Qatar. The dream was nice while it lasted... Now, let's hope that the weather will be a good advisor and allow each one to draw their own conclusions."

Ronaldo's statement received more than 7 million likes on Instagram in under an hour.

It also sparked comments from many famous names, including Pele and LeBron James.

Brazilian soccer legend Pele replied: "Thank you for making us smile, my friend".

NBA icon James added: "LEGEND!!"

READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup Story Ends In Tears

Cristiano Ronaldo pictured leaving the field in tears after Portugal were beaten by Morocco in the quarter-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup :: IMAGO/Rodolfo Buhrer/Fotoarena