As Portugal’s run at the 2026 FIFA World Cup ended on Monday (July 6) against Spain, the streamer iShowSpeed was overwhelmed by the emotions he felt seeing star striker Cristiano Ronaldo walk around the pitch.
iShowSpeed broke down as Ronaldo appeared on the Jumbotron at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas. Ronaldo had already confirmed that this World Cup, his sixth, would be his last.
Ronaldo is iShowSpeed’s favorite player, and the streamer spoke about how much faith he put in Portugal to go deep in the Cup. “I thought they was gonna win it all. I thought they was gonna win it all, man. I thought they was gonna win it all, I swear to God, Wallahi,” he said on camera. “I prayed. I prayed. I prayed, I prayed, and I prayed. I prayed…my prayers wasn’t answered.”
iShowSpeed delivered a message to Ronaldo and other supporters before leaving AT&T Stadium. “Ronaldo, I love you,” he said. “I’m so sorry that you lost the World Cup. I’m sorry. I was cheering for you. I wanted you to win. I genuinely wanted you to win, and I’m sorry to everybody who was cheering for Ronaldo.”
The streamer had tried to see Ronaldo in Portugal’s previous match against Croatia in the Round of 16, which was in Toronto last Thursday (July 2), but was thwarted by being locked out of one flight and unsuccessfully trying to secure a private flight to Canada.
Ronaldo was straightforward after his team’s 1-0 loss. “I’m sad to leave the World Cup this way,” the 41-yeard-old star said to reporters. “As I said yesterday, I gave it my all, and I leave with a clear conscience. That’s the life of a footballer. You have to move forward.”
This was Ronaldo’s 27th game in the World Cup, three behind Lionel Messi of defending Cup champion Argentina, who has 30. Overall, he leaves the international stage with the most goals scored (146) and most appearances (100).
