It was already past midnight, but hundreds of fans gathered outside the Frankfurt Arena, hoping to catch one last glimpse of their hero before heading home.
Ultimately, the wait was worth it as Cristiano Ronaldo smiled and waved to them while leaving the stadium on the national team bus.
That was the end of a day that will forever be remembered, regardless of what happens on Friday when Portugal faces France in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.
Ronaldo had shed tears on different occasions with the Selecao, but never had he cried as he did on Monday after having a penalty saved in extra time during a dramatic last-16 match against Slovenia.
There was still a game to be won – which they eventually did on penalties as goalkeeper Diogo Costa shone after a 0-0 draw.
This moment was unlike anything else in his illustrious career.
At 39, it seemed that the one opponent he had tried so hard to outrun had finally caught up with him – time.
Having been Portugal’s main star for the past two decades, lifting trophies and changing the perception of a team previously known for its losing mentality, Ronaldo has yet to score in this tournament.
Despite that, according to a poll from the Mais Futebol website, he can still rely on the support of his compatriots – 54% of them want him to start in Friday's quarter-final against France.
Not even his meltdown in Frankfurt has shaken their confidence.
“If there’s something to take from this, it’s the deep humanity of the moment. There’s an authenticity of a street boy in Ronaldo,” said Henrique Raposo, a columnist for Expresso newspaper.
“If you follow his career, you know that he has always cried from joy or frustration, not fearing the exposure. That makes him such an unparalleled media star.”
Bernardo Ribeiro, a director of Record newspaper, added: “I don’t know what made Ronaldo cry – whether it was seeing his mother cry, failing his country, or failing himself.
"Whatever the reason, they’re all understandable because even the most selfish one of them shows us what we’ve known for many years. For better or for worse, he’s a competitive animal.”
Despite the local sympathy for his tears, there’s a growing feeling that such mentality is no longer helping the team as it once did.
'His mental side is being exposed'
Ronaldo's performance against Slovenia did little to bolster his cause. Despite having taken 20 shots—the most of any player in the competition—he has yet to score after appearing in every game thus far.
Taking a free-kick from wide on the left wing only added to the impression that he was pursuing his own personal milestones, aiming to become the oldest goalscorer and the first player to score in six different editions of the Euros.
"Six or seven years ago, Ronaldo would have easily bagged a hat-trick in this game. But he no longer has the same jumping ability, explosive speed, balance for shooting, and dribbling skills. These shortcomings are exposing his mental side during moments of frustration," argued Luis Cristovao, a pundit for SIC Noticias.
"This is the first time he's playing at a major competition coming from a significantly lower competitive context [Saudi Arabia] compared to the one he's facing in Germany."
Having been in charge for 18 months—or 20 games—coach Roberto Martinez has also faced criticism for his handling of the situation.
"He needs to stop behaving like a diplomat with rose-colored glasses," said Tomas da Cunha, a pundit for DAZN, TSF Radio, and the No Principio Era A Bola podcast.
"Ronaldo has started all the games, and the team obviously looks for him in the finishing zone. But he's not the same physically, and you can see that if he can't make a difference, it affects him psychologically. It would be the coach's job to play other players. Where else would you see a 39-year-old playing four games in two weeks during a competition in July? Or 120 minutes in a round of 16 match? Nowhere else."
'Association of Support to Cristiano Ronaldo'
The atmosphere in Portugal ahead of the game against France has led to the team being dubbed the "Association of Support to Cristiano Ronaldo" by A Bola newspaper.
Dropping the Al-Nassr striker would undoubtedly require considerable diplomacy from Martinez, given the events the last time a coach decided to bench the team captain.
This occurred during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar when then-coach Fernando Santos replaced Ronaldo with Goncalo Ramos, who responded by scoring a hat-trick in the 6-1 victory against Switzerland in the last 16. Ramos retained his place for the quarter-final against Morocco, but Portugal ended up losing 1-0.
That incident effectively ended the relationship between Santos and Ronaldo.
“We haven’t talked since Qatar,” Santos admitted to A Bola in November last year. "I had a very strong relationship with Ronaldo, a personal one, beyond professional.
"We met at Sporting when he was 19 and only strengthened it after that. It was a bit like a father-and-son relationship. But I had to make a decision, and when I came to explain it to him, he didn’t take it very well. Anyway, he knows I’m here."
Will Martinez be willing to face a similar situation?