The awkward ending to Cristiano Ronaldo’s extraordinary Portugal career
By Ben Church ·
During the five minutes it took to watch Cristiano Ronaldo’s emotional farewell video to the Portuguese national team, it was easy to forget the sour note on which his international career has ended.
For a player whose career has been defined by ruthless self-confidence and the endless pursuit of statistics, it was refreshing to see the 41-year-old speak with such humility and vulnerability about a 23-year love affair with the national team.
“Over the years, I learned a few very simple things. Goals fade, trophies end up in museums, records are eventually broken,” he said. “But there is something that time can never erase: the place we hold in people’s hearts.
“If I ever made you happy, if one of my goals ever made you embrace someone, forget a worry, or feel proud of our country, then it was all worth it.”
It was, in isolation, a poignant note to wrap up his duty – an emotional monologue from the heart that spoke to his national pride and gratitude to all those who helped him along the way.
But, after the video ended and the highlights of his remarkable career stopped playing, the bitter context of his goodbye still lingered faintly in the background.
After all, just a month ago, Ronaldo had walked out on his country, embroiled in a public spat with the new head coach who seemed keen to usher in a new era without the veteran striker.
Despite that, the superstar accepted his lenient punishment, and many probably expected him to be named in Portugal’s squad for the upcoming international fixtures against Wales and Denmark this month.
But before the Portugal Football Federation (FPF) could announce which players had made that squad on Friday, Ronaldo announced his decision to step aside.
The sequence and timing of those two things perhaps speaks volumes. Cynics will say that Ronaldo jumped before he was pushed – posing the possibility that the veteran star wasn’t going to be named to the upcoming roster. So, instead of facing that harsh reality, he decided to call it quits.
If that assumption was true, it would likely be a tightly held secret for many years to come.
So, in the wake of his announcement, the FPF quickly followed up with a short statement that glossed over any ill feelings in recent weeks. After all, this is a man who has done so much for soccer in the country.
It should therefore come as no surprise that the FPF said it “refuses to let this farewell take place without due tribute.”
It added: “It is our firm and immense desire to organize, plan, participate, and actively collaborate in what will always be a fitting tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo’s immense career, in which fans and the country can applaud and celebrate, once again, the player who has given us so much.”
What exactly that tribute entails is unclear at this point. Ronaldo seemed definitive in his video that he would not be playing in a Portugal shirt again, seemingly ruling out one final dance for the national team.
But, despite his reluctance to take a back seat even when Portugal looked better without him in recent years, his legacy is still one that deserves to be celebrated – much like how Lionel Messi said goodbye to Argentina last month.
It’s hard to believe there wouldn’t be one final celebration. After all, there was a world before Ronaldo made his debut for Portugal in 2003 and a very different world after it.
For one, no man in history has made as many appearances (234) or scored as many goals (146) for their country. Ronaldo’s supreme talent also led his country to its first major silverware at the 2016 European Championships, and followed it up by helping the Seleção to victory in the 2019 and 2025 UEFA Nations League.
There are simply too many iconic moments to mention – his hat-trick against Spain at the 2018 World Cup, the iconic wink to the camera during victory against England in the 2006 World Cup and the teenager’s tears after losing the Euro 2004 final to Greece all spring to mind.
It’s no secret, though, that Ronaldo should have left a long time ago. His performances had dropped below an acceptable level in recent years and his body just couldn’t cope with the rigors of top-flight soccer anymore.
If he had walked away a few seasons earlier, perhaps after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he would have almost certainly enjoyed a farewell to rival that of Messi – who was surrounded by an outpouring of love from thousands in his nation’s capital.
But you sensed it was that same rivalry with Messi that forced him to continue for another four years. In 2022, the Argentine star lifted the World Cup trophy – an achievement many said settled the GOAT (greatest of all time) debate. Surely, for a man as competitive as CR7, that was motivation enough to try one more time this summer.
But it wasn’t to be, and the World Cup in North America underlined that Ronaldo’s time on the international stage was up.
It’s why the final chapter of his international career has felt more like the anguished completion of a prolonged divorce than a glorious send-off. Fans had already grown frustrated and the fallout with the head coach only underlined how imperfect an end it was to the most extraordinary international career.
But when you strip it all away, you’re still left with a man who has done more for his country than most. Someone who has put more smiles on faces than you can imagine.
And we can expect the records to keep tumbling. Ronaldo is still playing club soccer for Saudi side Al-Nassr FC, where he’s closing in on 1,000 career goals. Achieving that feat would be another fitting statistic to honor one of the greatest players in history, as he trudges ever closer to retirement from the sport he has helped to redefine.
Originally published by CNN