Cristiano Ronaldo commiserated his old friend and team-mate Luka Modric and shared a heartfelt embrace and chat after his Portugal side knocked the Croatians out of the World Cup.
Having played with each other at Real Madrid for seven years up until 2018, the pair have a close bond and TV cameras showed them having a brief conversation in the wake of Portugal’s 2-1 win on Thursday night.
There was no audio on the broadcast, so Ronaldo’s sincere words were not picked up but Nicola Hickling, expert analyst and professional lip-reading on behalf of Covers.com, shed light on what was said.
She believes the conversation went as follows:
Modric: ‘I’m done. That cost us.’
Ronaldo: ‘You’re finished too. You’re not happy.’
Modrić: ‘Yes.’
Ronaldo: ‘You’re not happy. Was it that kick?’
Modrić: ‘I cannot play like this… that decision.’
Ronaldo: ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, do what is best for you.’
Cristiano Ronaldo (left) shared some consoling words with Luka Modric at full-time
The conversation appears to reference both men’s probable impending retirement from international football, with Ronaldo saying ‘you’re finished too’.
Modric’s line: ‘I cannot play like this… that decision’, was regarding the cruel way Snicko led the VAR to disallowing a dramatic late equaliser for Croatia for a touch that was imperceptible to the naked eye.
At 41 and 40 respectively, Ronaldo and Modric are almost certainly playing in their last World Cup.
Neither man has officially announced their retirement from international football but Ronaldo’s sister Katia Aveiro said her brother would be calling it a day, speaking hours before the last 32 game.
‘From the information I have, they (fans) can say goodbye,’ she told Sport TV outside the Toronto Stadium.
‘Not today, but I believe this is the farewell. I’m talking about the national team. From a reliable source, it’s the “last dance”, the World Cup.’
Ronaldo has earned his 232nd international cap after being named in the starting XI to face Croatia. He is the all-time men’s international goalscorer with 146 for his country after netting a penalty in their dramatic 2-1 win.
His impending exit from the Portuguese national team will not come as a surprise. Ronaldo will be 43 by the time of the Euros in 2028 and 45 when his nation co-hosts the next World Cup with Spain and Morocco.
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Modric’s longevity is just as extraordinary and he will be regarded as one of the greatest midfielders to ever play the game when he calls time on his decorated career.
Modric and Ronaldo’s paths first crossed in 2008‑09 when Tottenham lost to Man United in the Carling Cup final.
When Modric joined Ronaldo at Real Madrid, they won the Champions League four times together.
They locked horns four times on the international stage and Croatia were unable to win any of those games, with Thursday night’s defeat the most painful.
When Ronaldo was asked the gist of his message to Modric at full-time, he said: ‘I played with Luka for so many years. We are nearly the same age.
‘I think he’s a legend of football, still a legend of football. He plays very well with high quality. I just said to him, “Luka, congratulations for everything. I love to see you again. I wish you all the best for the next years of your career.” It was nice to play against him once again.’
