Cristiano Ronaldo recently shared the reason behind his emotional reaction after missing a crucial penalty at Euro 2024. During Portugal’s Round of 16 match against Slovenia, held at the Frankfurt Arena, Ronaldo missed a 105th-minute penalty. Despite this setback, Portugal managed to secure a win in the penalty shootout, advancing to the quarterfinals.
Discussing the incident on his YouTube channel with Rio Ferdinand, Ronaldo, now 39, explained that his tears were not due to personal disappointment or fear of criticism. Instead, he felt emotional because of the people who support him.
“I cried the day I missed the penalty, even though I thought Oblak made a great save,” Ronaldo said. “When I cried, it wasn’t because I felt that if I missed and if Portugal were eliminated, the world would collapse on me. It’s not because of that. Imagine in the last 27 penalties, you score. I missed, and in that moment… I didn’t even think about that.”
Ronaldo emphasized that his sadness was linked to the presence of his loved ones in the stadium: “The people who come to the stadium, your kids, your mom, your girlfriend, everyone. I felt sad because of that.”
Despite his initial disappointment, Ronaldo composed himself and successfully scored Portugal’s first penalty in the shootout, helping his team to advance in the tournament.
