Cristiano Ronaldo appeared to be fighting back the tears as he sang the Portuguese national anthem before a World Cup match against Ghana.
The 37-year-old forward has been in the news a lot in the past few weeks due to his prolonged falling out with Manchester United. The club announced on Tuesday that they had decided to release the forward from his contract seven months early, following an interview with Piers Morgan in which he said he felt "betrayed" by the club.
Ronaldo is now a free agent and, while he's been distracted by club things, he is also focused on Portugal's World Cup campaign. That gets underway against Ghana at Stadium 974 in Doha on Thursday afternoon.
After appearing from the tunnel alongside his 10 teammates the Portugal team lined up to sing the national anthem. As the camera scanned along the line, most players looked focused, but Ronaldo's emotion was clear, with tears in his eyes and his bottom lip quivering slightly.
The veteran forward is appearing at his fifth World Cup and will be aiming to bring the trophy home in what will surely be his last tournament for Portugal. Fernando Santos' side are in Group H, alongside Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea.
Ronaldo released a statement on Tuesday to confirm the news that he would be leaving United. He said: "Following conversations with Manchester United we have mutually agreed to end our contract early.
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"I love Manchester United and I love the fans, that will never ever change. However, it feels like the right time for me to seek a new challenge.
"I wish the team every success for the remainder of the season and for the future."
The furore around his future with United has become somewhat of a distraction for Portugal. Their pre-match press conference for the Ghana game was dominated by questions about Ronaldo, with Bruno Fernandes and Santos visibly frustrated by the line of questioning.
Portugal players have also been forced to deny reports of a rift in the dressing room following a clip which appeared to show an awkward moment in the dressing room between Ronaldo and Fernandes and Joao Cancelo.
