“Not everybody gets to win the World Cup” - Ibrahimovic on Portugal's exit from the FIFA World Cup

Portugal were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup and Zlatan Ibrahimovic has shared his views on their elimination. The Swedish striker said that despite it being a dream for most players to lift the coveted trophy, most do not end up winning the tournament.

Ronaldo and Co. were knocked out of the FIFA World Cup last week after a 1-0 loss to Morocco. The former Manchester United star finished the tournament with one goal, which came in a 3-2 win over Ghana in Portugal's first Group Stage match.

Speaking to reporters in Dubai, Ibrahimovic shared his thoughts when quizzed about A Selecao's elimination. He said:

"I think it's not important what I can say. I mean everybody wants to win the World Cup; not everybody gets to win the World Cup. Everybody is trying and if you don't win it obviously you'll get emotional, if you win it, you get also emotional in a different way."

Cristiano Ronaldo's dream to win the FIFA World Cup with Portugal ends

Cristiano Ronaldo penned an emotional message on Instagram following A Selecao's elimination from the FIFA World Cup. The forward was seen leaving the pitch in tears after the 1-0 defeat to Morocco.

He wrote on Instagram:

"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 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 the 5 appearances, I scored in World Cups over 16 years, always by the side of great players and supported by millions of Portuguese, I gave my all."

He added:

"Leave it all out on the field. I never turned my face to 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."

Cristiano Ronaldo is now set to focus on his club career and decide his next destination. He is currently a free agent after Manchester United released him days before the FIFA World Cup kicked off.

About the author

Sripad is a veteran Sportskeeda football journalist who has been with the company for around 10 years. His tryst with writing happened in class XI when he started penning blogs, and his foray into football was during the early 2000s, watching matches with his cousins.

Sripad has been a Chelsea fan through and through since the age of 9 and can watch their 2012 Champions League triumph on repeat. The undisputed ‘GOAT’ according to him is Lionel Messi and his favorite managers are Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson. Apart from popular European leagues, he also likes to follow other leagues like the MLS, Saudi Pro League, Eredivisie, and Liga MX.

Sripad believes in only using the right sources for his articles, and is an expert in understanding how to get the right quotes for each news to provide proper background information. His exploits have led him to become a popular figure in European Football and interviewing Premier League legends such as Alan Shearer, Shay Given, Paul Dickov, and John Barnes. His articles have been much revered amongst the football fraternity and have been shared by the likes of John Terry, Gary Lineker, and Declan Rice.

If given a chance to change a football rule, Sripad wants VAR to be fully automated and offside rules to be less stringent. When not working, he likes to watch past Formula 1 races and play FIFA.

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Edited by R. Elahi