Cristiano Ronaldo i Portugal they are headed for a messy breakup.
Portugal enjoyed a very impressive win in Norway on Sunday night with Ronaldo’s replacement Goncalo Ramos scoring the winner nine minutes into the second half.
The 41-year-old was expected to come off the bench towards the end but remained rooted to his seat, the first time in 18 years that the veteran striker has not been called up for his country when fit.
What came next was entirely predictable.
Instead of congratulating his team-mates, particularly Ramos, who has been very patient waiting for his chance, and celebrating the three points with the traveling fans, Ronaldo escaped down the tunnel.
Immediately, attention shifted from the win, the focus on a good performance against a strong opponent, to the middle-aged man who was conspicuous by his absence.
Ronaldo not training as debate rages
Ronaldo has not trained since then, either on Monday when the rest of the unused players trained, or on Tuesday, preferring to follow an individual program at the team hotel.
The Portuguese Football Federation has not reported any injuries when it has had many opportunities to do so. We can only assume, therefore, that Ronaldo has thrown his toys out of the pram and refused to participate.
Reports in Portugal suggest that Ronaldo and manager Jorge Jesus overcame their differences on Tuesday evening and we now wait to see if the former Manchester United and Real Madrid man trains tonight ahead of tomorrow’s Nations League clash with Denmark in Copenhagen.
It should be noted that Ronaldo is acting this way despite working with Jesus last season to help deliver the Saudi Pro League title for Al-Nassr. They know each other well and yet Ronaldo still shows this level of disrespect.
The brave thing for Jesus to do is not to indulge in this level of selfishness. Keep Ramos in the team and Ronaldo sulking on the bench.
At his age, Ronaldo has to accept that he is no longer the player he used to be, his influence on the international stage has long waned. If he claims to love Portugal the way he says he does, he needs to step aside, gracefully, and let Jesus handle it.
Ronaldo’s tantrum is nothing new
It is not the first time that Ronaldo has put the individual before the collective.
There was the armband-throwing episode in 2021 when a goal was disallowed against Serbia in a World Cup qualifier, the refusal to come on as a late substitute at Manchester United in 2022 and the crotch-grabbing incident in 2024 when rival fans chanted for their old rival. Lionel Messiwhich entails a suspension. And many others.
The reaction to his latest antics in his homeland is divided.
Many believe that Ronaldo’s time with the national team is over, that this indulgence has hampered the team’s chances in recent major tournaments and that he should show some humility and leave with his legacy intact.
Others are more keen to point to his enormous influence in a country that struggled for prominence on the international stage until his arrival. He played a prominent role in Portugal’s first major trophy, the 2016 European Championship, and led them to Nations League glory in 2019 and 2025.
One prominent commentator even suggested Portugal should treat him the same way Argentina have built around Messi, protecting him from the advances of age and giving him the platform to succeed. The difference is that Messi was still Argentina’s best player at this summer’s World Cup, the engine of their run to the final. And how could anyone forget the way he almost single-handedly dragged his country to the 2022 title in Qatar?
Messi inspires, Ronaldo gets angry
Ronaldo hasn’t had the same platform for Portugal in a while.
Messi opted to retire from international football after the World Cup, and is now looking forward to his farewell match next week in front of an adoring crowd in Buenos Aires. It was the right call at the right time, putting his country first.
Ronaldo continues to advance to the detriment of Portugal. For his own sake, he needs to call it a day, rather than let someone else have to make a call that will lead to endless debate and discussion.
It’s hard to see what he hopes to achieve at this stage. Protect your legacy, cherish the good times, and walk away a hero. Now is Cristiano’s time.
