HoopGoal

As a sports analyst with a decade of NBA experience, I couldn't resist diving into Cristiano Ronaldo's surprisingly frequent group stage struggles. From his 2002 U-21 disaster to recent World Cup heartbreaks, I've crunched the numbers on all 12 instances where CR7 failed to secure direct qualification. The results? More dramatic than a Portuguese penalty shootout. Grab your calculators – we're exposing the statistical truth behind football's greatest enigma.