Cristiano Ronaldo was slowly walking off the field when Romelu Lulaku came over to give him a hug.
The two embraced for a few moments, with Lukaku speaking into the Portugal great’s ear. Ronaldo politely thanked him, but quickly made his way back to the tunnel.
He wasn’t in much of a chatting mood.
While Lukaku was moving on to the European Championship quarterfinals with Belgium, Ronaldo was heading home after a disappointing end to his tournament — and to his season.
There was no repeat European title. There was no world scoring record. And there probably won’t be a player of the year award, either.
The 36-year-old Ronaldo capped a lackluster season in Portugal’s 1-0 loss to Belgium in the round of 16 at Euro 2020 on Sunday.