Virat Kohli hails Ronaldo after Portugal's FIFA World Cup exit
What's the story
Virat Kohli, the former captain of the Indian cricket team, has come out in support of football star, Cristiano Ronaldo, after his side Portugal crashed out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Kohli, in a heartwarming post on social media, stated that no title can define the impact of Ronaldo. Morocco stunned Portugal 1-0 in the World Cup quarter-final on Saturday.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Kohli, despite being a legend, never fails to highlight the greatness of athletes across sports. Be it his long-time compatriot Mahendra Singh Dhoni or veteran Roger Federer, Kohli has hailed all of them. Kohli has given a reminder of Ronaldo's stature this time. Notably, Ronaldo has been embroiled in controversies of late. He scored just one goal in the FIFA World Cup.
Twitter Post
You are GOAT for me: Kohli
(1/2) No trophy or any title can take anything away from what you’ve done in this sport and for sports fans around the world. No title can explain the impact you’ve had on people and what I and so many around the world feel when we watch you play. That’s a gift from god. pic.twitter.com/inKW0rkkpq
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) December 12, 2022
Ronaldo
Ronaldo scored one goal in 2022 FIFA WC
As per Opta, Ronaldo has now failed to score in all eight of his knockout stage appearances at the FIFA World Cup, including a third-place playoff. Ronaldo has now gone 570 minutes without scoring. In the 2022 edition in Qatar, Ronaldo could not get going, having scored just one penalty. The goal came in Portugal's opening match against Ghana.
Information
Ronaldo was disgruntled after getting benched
Portugal coach Fernando Santos benched Ronaldo for their World Cup last-16 clash against Switzerland. Veteran defender Pepe took the captain's armband. Ronaldo then vented out his frustration after being substituted in the match versus South Korea.
Contract
Ronaldo has parted ways with Manchester United
Ronaldo parted ways with Premier League club, Manchester United, last month. United confirmed that the star striker will leave the club through a mutual agreement. Ronaldo left in the aftermath of his explosive interview with Piers Morgan. He had returned to United from Juventus on a two-year deal. In October, United handed Ronaldo a three-day suspension due to his behavior.
Kohli
A similar run for Kohli
Kohli had a similar run until September this year. He suffered a run drought, while the captaincy conundrum perturbed him. Kohli finally bounced back with a rip-roaring T20I century against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup. Notably, he was ton-less in international cricket for over two years before this match. Kohli then topped the runs tally in the ICC T20 World Cup, averaging 98.67.
Market
The stars of Instagram!
The market value of both Ronaldo and Kohli continues to rise. In September, reports suggested that Ronaldo is the highest-paid celebrity on the social media site, Instagram. He takes $2,397,000 for each sponsored post. The report also stated that Kohli is the highest-paid Asian on the list (ranked 14th overall). The Indian cricketer rakes in $1,088,000 for each sponsored post.