'You are the greatest of all time for me': Kohli pens emotional note for Cristiano Ronaldo

Virat Kohli wrote an emotional letter to Cristiano Ronaldo, telling the veteran forward that no trophy can take away from what he has done for football.

Portugal's World Cup 2022 run came to an abrupt end in the quarterfinals when they lost to Morocco by a score of 0-1. Ronaldo, then 37 years old, saw his World Cup dreams dashed.

Kohli went on to describe Ronaldo as a "gift from god" and the "greatest of all time."

"No trophy or any title can take anything away from what you have done  in this sport and for sports fans around the world. No title can explain the impact you have had on people and what I and so many around the world feel when we watch you play," Kohli said in an Instagram post.   

"That is a gift from god. A real blessing to a man who plays his heart out every single time and is the epitome of hard work and dedication and a true inspiration for any sportsperson. You are for me the greatest of all time."

Ronaldo, a five-time winner of the Ballon d'Or, came to Qatar to compete in his fifth World Cup with the intention of making a significant impact for Portugal. After Youssef En-Nesyri scored for Morocco in the first half of the quarterfinal match, Ronaldo entered as a second-half substitute but was unable to help his team win.

After the loss, Ronaldo took to social media to express his disappointment, writing, "Winning a World Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of my career. Fortunately, I won many titles of international dimension, including Portugal, but putting our country's name on the highest foot in the World was my biggest dream."

"I fought for it. I fought hard for this dream. In the 5 appearances I scored in World Cups over 16 years, always by the side of great players and supported by millions of Portuguese, I gave my all. Leave it all out on the field. I never turned my face to the fight and I never gave up on that dream.

"Sadly yesterday the dream ended the heat is not worth reacting. I just want you all to know that much has been said, much has been written, much has been speculated, but my dedication to Portugal hasn't changed for a moment. I was always one fighting for the objective of all and I would never turn my back on my colleagues and my country.

"Not much more to say for now. Thank you Portugal. Thank you Qatar The dream was nice while it lasted... Now, it's hoping that the weather will be good advisor and allow each one to draw their own conclusions."