So, the dream is still alive for Cristiano Ronaldo. Soccer's most prolific modern-day scorer might yet, at the age of 37 and probably playing in his last World Cup, claim the one major title to elude him in a career like no other.
It didn't quite feel that way, though, as he walked off the field alone at Lusail Stadium, leaving the rest of the Portugal team to celebrate getting through to the quarterfinals after a 6-1 rout of Switzerland on Tuesday.
In fact, it was a rather sad sight. A veteran in decline departing the scene as his teammates - some barely half his age - continued to party.
This has been a turbulent and bruising few weeks for Ronaldo. First came the explosive interview with Piers Morgan that shaped the start of his fifth World Cup campaign. Then the fallout, which included the termination of his contract at Manchester United.
When the tournament started, he broke a record — becoming the first male player to score at five different World Cup — and then he underwhelmed, failing to score in back-to-back games and responding to a substitution against South Korea by showing his displeasure and angering his coach.
Then came Tuesday night and the moment that might be looked back on as the start of the end of his glittering, record-breaking international career. Not only was he dropped by his national team, but the 21-year-old player who replaced him - Goncalo Ramos — scored a remarkable hat trick. Just imagine the thoughts going through Ronaldo's head as he trudged off the field after playing around 20 minutes as a substitute?
This was one of Portugal's greatest wins — indeed, it was the country' largest margin of victory in a World Cup knockout game — and it felt like Ronaldo could hardly get off the field quick enough. So where does this leave Ronaldo? Already without a club, he is now likely to be second choice for Portugal to Ramos, who only made his Portugal debut three weeks ago.
Portugal coach Fernando Santos threw Ronaldo a lifeline, saying he'd continue to select players according to the strengths and weaknesses of the team's opponent. But it's unthinkable that Ramos will lose his place now for the quarterfinal match against Morocco.
"I will use what I believe is the right strategy, as I have done my entire life," Santos said, as bullish as ever.
Tellingly, Santos praised his team for playing with "a lot of fluidity" and "as a collective."
That style is harder to forge when Ronaldo, whose mobility is just not what it was, is the sole striker.
His goal that was ruled out for offside against Switzerland was an example of a player trying to steal a few meters to compensate for his lack of pace, and it's not the first time that has happened at this World Cup.
Meanwhile, Ramos needed just 72 minutes in his first start at a World Cup — in fact, it was his first start in international soccer — to show he might be the future.