Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed the reason why he broke into tears after missing a crucial penalty for Portugal during Euro 2024.
Ronaldo thought he had scuppered Portugal's Euro 2024 dream in the last-16 when his penalty in extra time was heroically saved by Slovenia goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
The 39-year-old had previously only missed 29 of his 192 career penalties and it all proved too much for the superstar to cope with as he began crying profusely during the short extra time interval.
The Al Nassr forward says he didn't cry because he felt he had let his nation down but that it was down to another reason.
'For example, I cried the day I missed the penalty... when I cried, it's not because I felt that if I don't score Portugal will be eliminated, and the world will collapse on me. It's not because of that.
'People, they don't know me. Imagine that the last 27 penalties, you score. And in that period, you feel bad for yourself. The people who come to the stadium, your kids, your mum, your girlfriend, everyone. I feel sad because of that.'
Ronaldo added that he puts pressure on himself and failure to live up to his own expectations can be overwhelming.
He said: 'I didn't even think about [Portugal losing].
'I felt sad because of the pressure I put on myself since I was 11-years-old. "Cristiano Ronaldo you are the best player in the world", I'm always thinking that in my mind. And I put a lot of pressure on myself [because of that].
'So when things go wrong, you feel that. But I love that, I know how to deal with that. But when I missed the penalty I felt bad for myself, for the fans, family - not because of other stuff. You have to express yourself. For me, if you hide this stuff, you're not being yourself.'
Ronaldo added that he puts pressure on himself and failure to live up to his own expectations can be overwhelming
Against Slovenia, Ronaldo redeemed himself as he scored in the shootout, with Portugal claiming a 3-0 victory.
Roberto Martinez's men were eventually knocked out by France, who won 5-3 in the quarter-final shootout.