Cristiano Ronaldo has announced his retirement from international football, ending a record-breaking 23-year career with Portugal. The 41-year-old’s decision, announced on Thursday, brings an end to weeks of speculation about his international career after a public falling-out with Portugal’s head coach, Jorge Jesus. Ronaldo is one of the most famous footballers of all time and enjoys the highest social media following of all athletes.
Over the past few weeks, his millions of worldwide fans have wondered whether the forward’s career had ended on a bitter note. Here’s a look at the events that unfolded prior to Ronaldo’s announcement: On September 30, Ronaldo made an abrupt departure from Portugal’s training camp ahead of the team’s UEFA Nations League fixture against Denmark, prompting a string of questions and a few answers. Ronaldo confirmed that he had left after a turbulent few hours in Copenhagen, amid reports of a dispute with coach Jesus.
The captain’s decision to walk out came as a shock, as he had been due to train with his teammates at the Parken Stadium. Ronaldo left shortly after the head coach’s news conference, where Jesus confirmed that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner would be left out of his starting lineup for the match against Denmark, marking a second consecutive Nations League game absence. Portugal’s leading scorer had already spent the entirety of the 2-1 Nations League win away to Norway on September 27 on the bench, having captained the side in the 1-0 home victory over Wales three days before.
The game in Oslo was the first time since November 2024 that Ronaldo had not featured for Portugal despite not being injured or suspended. The coach had indicated that Ronaldo could return to the national team if he chose to. We can talk before the next call-up, but Cris is the one who’s going to decide,” said Jesus, who also coached Ronaldo at Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr.
In my first call-up, I said, ‘I need you, I need you to be close to me, playing or not playing, I need you’. And now I’m saying the same thing.” Six days later, Ronaldo accused Jesus of twice breaking his word, saying a failed agreement to publicly explain his omission against Norway drove him out of the camp, but insisting he remained available after any punishment. In a lengthy statement, he gave his account of the dispute.
Ronaldo said Jesus had agreed to a plan in which the forward would miss the Norway and Denmark matches to manage his fitness. However, on the day of the Norway game, the coach told him he would play for 30 minutes. I warmed up from half-time onwards, watched the minutes tick by and wasn’t called on,” Ronaldo said.
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