A match evening without German participation - and still an audience of millions: The World Cup Round of 16 between Portugal and Spain attracted almost ten million viewers to ZDF on Monday evening. It was also the last major appearance by Cristiano Ronaldo (41) on the World Cup stage.
9.72 million fans followed the match according to "AGF Videoforschung" starting at 9 p.m. on the public broadcaster, which corresponded to a market share of 43.5 percent. This made the Round of 16 match the second most successful broadcast of a game without German participation at this World Cup. Only the tournament opener between Mexico and South Africa reached a slightly larger audience. If you add the viewers on MagentaTV, the total reach likely exceeded the ten million mark significantly.
Among young audiences, the results were even more striking. 3.01 million viewers aged 14 to 49 tuned in, which corresponded to a market share of 56.1 percent in this age group. Even the pre-match coverage had brought 4.20 million people to their screens.
Ronaldo leaves the World Cup in tears
And the fans had to stay tuned for a long time: Sportingly, the decision only came in stoppage time. Mikel Merino (30) scored six minutes after being substituted on in the 91st minute to make it a decisive 1-0 and sent Spain through to the quarterfinals. For Portugal, the defeat meant elimination, and for Cristiano Ronaldo it also meant the end of his World Cup career. The multiple World Player of the Year confirmed after the match that he does not want to participate in any more World Cups.
It was his sixth World Cup. In 27 tournament matches, Ronaldo scored eleven goals and assisted two more. With 233 international matches and 146 goals, he remains Portugal's record international player.
At the final whistle, the 41-year-old's disappointment was evident. Tears rolled down his face on the field, and visibly moved, he finally thanked the fans before heading to the locker room.
