Watch: Cristiano Ronaldo consoles Pepe as the two greats exit Euro after Portugal's quarterfinal defeat

Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese superstar, comforted his tearful teammate Pepe following their heartbreaking defeat to France in the quarterfinals of the European Championship in Hamburg on Friday. The loss came via a penalty shootout, marking a painful exit from what could potentially be their last major international tournament together.
Pepe, performing admirably even at the age of 41, wept on Ronaldo's shoulder after Protugal's defeat.Ronaldo had also wept earlier in the tournament, after he couldn't convert the penalty against Slovenia in the extra time of their last-16 match -- a sight similar to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, when Ronaldo left the field in tears following Portugal's defeat against Morocco in the quarters.

On Friday, disappointment and regret writ large on the legend's face.
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The next major tournament, the 2026 World Cup, will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. By then, Ronaldo will be 41 years old, raising questions about his ability to continue playing at the highest level, where he holds the men's record for international goals (130) and appearances (212).
But he has now gone eight consecutive games without scoring in major tournaments. This includes all five of Portugal's matches at Euro 2024 and their final three games at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Although he successfully converted his penalty in the shootout against France, it wasn't enough to secure victory.

“I won't say it publicly," Pepe replied when asked by TV station Canal 11 what Ronaldo said to him. "But we feel it a lot. Contrary to what many people think, we feel it a lot. We feel the frustration of not winning a game, of being eliminated in such a big competition as the European Championship, knowing that we had a lot of quality to go through. That's the pain we feel.”
Cristiano Ronaldo concludes his European Championship journey with an unparalleled 14 goals, remaining the tournament's all-time leading scorer, which is five goals more than Michel Platini, as mentioned in an AP report.

Ronaldo's longevity and consistency are unmatched, as he stands alone as the sole player to participate in six European Championship tournaments.