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Cristiano Ronaldo literally had Didier Drogba praying to God for help during the 2010 World Cup clash between Portugal and Ivory Coast.
Ronaldo started for Portugal for their Group G opener in South Africa whilst Drogba was on the bench for the Ivory Coast.
In the 11th minute, Ronaldo received the ball, chopped away from Yaya Toure and unleashed a rocket towards goal from about 35 yards out.
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The ball flew past Ivory Coast goalkeeper Boubacar Barry but luckily for him, it rattled off the post. To the despair of Ronaldo, he was inches away from scoring one of the finest goals in world cup history.
Cameras captured Drogba’s reaction to Ronaldo’s shot and it was priceless. You can watch the footage below.
Drogba was literally praying to God after the ball bounced off the post.
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The former Chelsea star was eventually introduced in the 66th minute but failed to inspire his team to a victory as the two teams played out a disappointing 0-0 draw.
Portugal sneaked through in second place as Ivory Coast finished third, one point behind Ronaldo and co.
However, Ronaldo’s world cup dream was ended in the round of 16 as they fell to eventually winners, Spain.
Ronaldo has been making the headlines all summer after shocking Manchester United with a transfer demand back in June.
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However, a move never materialised as United simply refused to sell their star man. Ronaldo has since struggled to nail down a regular starting spot in Erik ten Hag starting eleven.
The five time Ballon d’Or winner scored his first goal of the season last week when United beat FC Sheriff 2-0 in the Europa League.
Ten Hag said after that match: “Ronaldo needed that goal.
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“Many times he came close, but he wanted that so much. We are happy for him and the team wanted to bring him a goal. You know that Cristiano will score a penalty.”
Will Ronaldo stay at Old Trafford beyond this season? Only time will tell.
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Didier Drogba, Portugal, Ivory Coast, Football World Cup
Marcus Chan