5 Immortal Moments When Great Players Cried

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Many great players have shed tears in the past

As humans, we are sometimes controlled by our emotions. After the occurrence of certain sorrowful events or the emergence of blissful moments, we occasionally give in to tears as a sign of expressing deep feelings within us. The truth is, crying does not imply that you are less of a man, rather it sometimes represents another means of expressing our emotions.

Since footballers are also human beings, it is true that their emotions overwhelm them and they give in to tears at certain moments. It does not mean that they are cowards, rather, it indicates that they have lots of things going through their minds.

Many things can drive players to shed tears. Losing important matches, unexpected injuries, the death of loved ones and the joy that comes after genius moments have caused several footballers to sob in the past. Crying is not limited to young players as we have seen many instances where mature players cried in the past. Therefore, lets quickly look at 5 times that great players cried in football:

#5 Ronaldo

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A severe injury made Ronaldo cry in 1999

Ronaldo is one of the great superstars that gave in to tears on the pitch during his playing days. The Brazilian was undeniably the best footballer in the universe at that particular moment. He had already proved himself to the world and was recognized for his incredible ability.

But when a severe injury first struck his knees during his time with the Italian club, Inter Milan, the Brazillian could not bear the pain of the terrible incident. He gave in to tears on the pitch before he was taken out.

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He was sidelined for six months in November 1999, but he recovered against Lazio in the Coppa Italia in April 2000. But obviously, Ronaldo's knee warped from beneath him on the pitch and initially threw great shock in the atmosphere.

#4 Diego Maradona

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Maradona's failure to lift the World Cup for Argentina in 1990 led to his tears on the pitch.

After leading his nation to claim the previous World Cup, footballing demigod Diego Maradona was, as usual, on top of the world one more time as he fired Argentina to another World Cup final. This time, they met Germany in the final of the tournament which was hosted by Italy in 1990.

As it suggests, the match lived up to its expectations as it was intensely contested between the two great footballing nations. Maradona was in the center of attention as he lived up to the public's expectations and strived to provide the spark of magic he is well known for.

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However, it was quite unfortunate that things went the other way. The match ended in frustration for the Albiceleste as Germany snatched the trophy from them with a 1-0 victory and dashed Argentina's hope of securing another World Cup trophy.

After the game, Maradona stepped up to collect his runners-up medal. With many fans already jeering him, the Argentine could not hold his emotions as he started crying in front of the fans.

#3 Pele

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Pele cried during the 1958 World Cup final

Several footballers and managers have burst into tears after claiming some of the football's top prizes, but very few of them have conveyed their victory so emotionally and as fittingly as an impressionable young Brazilian star in 1958.

Later recognized as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, a 17-year-old Pele appeared in Sweden during the 1958 FIFA World Cup and became the youngest player to ever play in a World Cup final after he fired the Selecao to final of the competition. He bagged two stunning goals in that final as Brazil defeated the hosts 5–2 in Stockholm.

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He was paraded for his brilliant display after the match, but the Brazilian, unable to hold the joy, burst into tears that afternoon.

#2 Cristiano Ronaldo

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Ronaldo cried after he was injured in the 2016 Euro Cup final.

Portugal made it to the final of the European Championships in 2016. They faced France at the Stade de France for the last match of the competition and it was important to note that Cristiano Ronaldo had been really influential in the Portugal squad, firing the National team to the final of an international competition for the first time in more than a decade.

The trophy was very important to the Real Madrid icon because it represented his golden chance to lay hands on a major trophy with his country.

However, the bad news came up after he was forced out of the match after just 25 minutes of play due to an injury. The captain could not bear the pain and later gave up to tears as he watched the match from the sidelines.

He was, though, lucky that the result favored him in the end, Eder firing home a belter to hand Portugal the win and allowing the superstar to claim the trophy.

#1 Lionel Messi

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After a back-to-back failure to win the Copa America, Lionel Messi gave in to tears

Despite losing the Copa America to Chile in the previous year, Lionel Messi led Argentina to another Copa America final, against the same opponents. After an intense hard-fought game, the match ended in a frustrating draw for the Albiceleste.

As the extra-time could not split the pair, the contest resulted in penalty kicks. Lionel Messi could not help his nation, therefore they fell to another defeat. The Argentine missed his spot-kick and his teammates could not save his blushes.

This granted Chile the trophy and served another major blow to Lionel Messi's hope of claiming an accolade with his national side.

However, Leo could not bear the pain of missing out on his fourth international trophy, he started crying. The action later led to his initial retirement from the National team before his recent reconciliation.

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Edited by Anirudh Menon