Ronaldo, Pele, Gazza and the football figures who cried

The Portugal captain was inconsolable after being forced off in the Euro 2016 final with a knee injury, but he is not the only one to have shown raw emotion on the pitch
Crying doesn't make you any less of a man. Sometimes, football can be the cruellest of games, taking players and coaches to within moments of glory only to snatch it from them without so much as a warning.

Sometimes it can be frustration boiling over at an inept performance or things just not going your way. Other times it can be returning to your spiritual home only to be overcome by love and emotion. On occasions, it can be an injury robbing you of everything you worked hard for.

The latter was certainly the case on at the Stade de France as Cristinao Ronaldo broke down as the realisation he would be forced out of the Euro 2016 final after just 25 minutes came over him. The Portugal captain injured his knee early on and after two periods of treatment was forced to admit defeat.

But Ronaldo is not the first footballing figure to cry - Goal takes a look at some other famous instances from the past.

Gazza's tears

In arguably the most famous show of emotion ever witnessed on the pitch, England midfielder Paul Gascoigne wept in the centre of the Stadio Delle Alpi as the realisation sunk in that he would miss the 1990 World Cup final.

With England's semi-final versus Germany locked at 1-1, the then-Tottenham midfielder threw himself rashly into a challenge on Thomas Berthold and was promptly booked by the referee. The caution meant that if his side progressed, he would be suspended from the biggest match in football. His crumpled expression became one of the abiding memories of the tournament, but his team exited on penalty kicks in any case, and Germany went on to be crowned champions.

Romario's anguish

After his goals fired Brazil to glory in World Cup '94 in USA, the legendary striker was seen as a perfect supplement to the genius of Rivaldo and a 21-year-old Ronaldo as the Selecao looked to retain their trophy.

However, the prolific frontman sustained a muscular injury in the build-up to the tournament, and faced a race against time to recover and be included in Mario Zagallo's squad. The 32-year-old's weary legs had lost their healing powers, however, and a day before the Selecao's team for the tournament was announced, Romario dissolved in a flood of tears when the realisation struck that he would play no part in the festival of football in France.

Ronaldo's injury woes

The brilliant Brazilian was unquestionably the best player in the world when serious injury first struck the knees of Il Fenomeno during his time with Inter. In November 1999, he was forced out of action for six months, but made a recovery against Lazio in the Coppa Italia in April of the following year.

But disaster struck. Ronaldo's knee collapsed from underneath him on the Stadio Olimpico turf, prompting the striker to scream in agony as he clutched the injured limb. Tears flowed as he was stretchered off, and despite going on to win the World Cup in 2002 and feature for Real Madrid, some argue that the prolific goalscorer was never quite the same again. The enigmatic figure let his emotion get the better of him again years later, when he officially announced his retirement from the game in 2011.