“Hardest day of my life”: United star bemoans nation’s devastating exit from World Cup

Manchester United have had numerous players involved in the 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup. United players at World Cup Three United stars have even scored their first ever World Cup goals, including Matheus Cunha, Amad and Lisandro Martinez. Another two United players must say their goodbyes, as Cunha and soon-to-be official Ederson were knocked out by Norway after a stunning 2-1 win for the Scandinavians. Player reaction Cunha won an early penalty for his side, but Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimarães fluffed his lines and missed the attempt. Speaking to Brazilian outlet GE Globo, Cunha opened up on how devastating the last 16 loss was to his nation. He explained, “without a doubt, professionally, this is the hardest day of my life. We had chances and didn’t convert them; they had chances and did. It’s hard, but we have to try to understand all of this, which unfortunately is part of it.” When pressed on what the future held for the five-time champions, he assessed, “I don’t have that answer. There is so much sadness, throughout the whole locker room, tears, a lot of pain. We know it passes. We’ve had very sad days before and we know it passes. It’s a feeling that we let down far more than just ourselves. And that’s what hurts the most.” Former Red Devil Casemiro also spoke to the media and gave an emotional response to Brazil’s failure to progress to the quarter-finals. The veteran gave a tearful interview to CAZETV and had to be consoled by the reporters asking the questions. He explained, “it’s difficult to find… to find words. I’m sorry. It’s difficult to find words at the moment. It’s always been a dream to win the World Cup.” Casemiro continued, “We did our best, but we lost our dream… we disappointed all Brazilians. We will always be the generation that didn’t win the World Cup.” Brazil have not won the World Cup since 2002 and will not have another chance until 2030, meaning they will have gone 28 years without a world title. Featured image Molly Darlington via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.