#World Cup: Cristiano Ronaldo ‘exposed’ on the biggest stage of all…is he out of time?

When Cristiano Ronaldo made his World Cup debut Morocco midfielder Azzedine Ounahi had just turned six. Joao Ricardo, the Angolan goalkeeper Portugal faced that day, is now 52. In his recent public appearances Wayne Rooney, victim of a Ronaldo wind-up in the quarter-final, looks even older.

“Age comes to all of us,” said a sanguine Rooney recently when asked to respond to some shade thrown his way in Ronaldo’s Piers Morgan-enabled strop. After Portugal’s exit from this World Cup, 16 years and four tournaments later for Ronaldo, Rooney’s words summed up his former team-mate’s predicament.

Against Morocco, Ronaldo was called upon from the new home he is struggling to adjust to: the bench. His appearance equalled Bader Al-Mutawa of Kuwait’s 196 international caps. There may not be another for a player whose once-invincible touch in front of goal has deserted him. He has taken the idea of raging against the dying light literally but looks desperately out of form. Now he is also out of time.

It must rankle to see Lionel Messi praised for his genius energy conservation when Ronaldo is pilloried for perceived laziness. It is not quite fair. I watched him closely in the group stages against Poland when he played as a sort of free range target man, drifting out wide to offer his still-immense physical prowess to bring down high balls and hold it up.

It was a fairly selfless performance, but that is a role which does not really exist for any other player in world football, and for good reason. When he was removed it was impossible to miss a new impetus to his team’s attack.

That suspicion was confirmed in the round of 16, when Ronaldo was dropped and Portugal tore apart competent Switzerland. They were accommodating with space for Ronaldo’s team, but Morocco gave them none. Every time he received the ball in would step Yahia Attiat-Allah to check his run, or Achraf Dari to get the right side to snuff out any danger.

This is the most brutal stage for aging footballers, with the weight of the trophy and its rarity surely coming into greater focus with every passing staging. Yet as recently as last season there were points when Ronaldo looked like stretching the parameters of achievement for veteran footballers. Why shouldn’t we have a Tom Brady figure in non-American football?

That question was answered by Ronaldo’s striking impotence, not just in this match but the tournament as a whole. No longer capable of meaningfully influencing a top-level game, he can barely even cause a scene.

Inevitably there was a chance. Set free by a through ball, Ronaldo was given clear sight of goal and enough time to pick his spot. His shot was not straight at Bono, keeper of Morocco’s unforgettable fire, but close enough for a comfortable save.

Long before this Portugal were panicking and none of it was Ronaldo’s fault. Bruno Fernandes passed the ball to thin air beyond the touchline and immediately started clapping enthusiastically, as if to say ‘no change to the plan, keep doing what we’re doing, do not get sucked into this.’

Later there was a wretched free-kick routine instigated by Fernandes 40 yards from goal, a failed one-two attempt which surrendered territory. Maybe now we can see why Ronaldo took so many of these, even if most were blasted into the wall?

After falling behind Portugal were unlucky, then wasteful and eventually clueless when faced with the most stubborn defence in the tournament. Such was Morocco’s brilliance, there was no great shock when they saw the game out with 10 men.

For Ronaldo, mercilessly teased in less enlightened times, there were no tears on the pitch. Instead he waited until he was in the tunnel, an area once considered a safe space for emotional footballers. Unfortunately television’s endless encroachment means there are ultra high-definition cameras there too, so his misery was caught and broadcast to the world.

For once though, the story was not about him. Morocco are the first African semi-finalists of this tournament and Portugal have their version of England vs Iceland in 2016, a collective brain freeze which will haunt all involved. Perennial protagonist Ronaldo’s last act on this stage is a footnote. As much as the end of his World Cup career will hurt, that might be the most painful thing of all.