Cristiano Ronaldo ends international career at 41 after public fallout with Portugal
The striker announced his departure from the national team on Thursday, two days after a dispute with manager Jorge Jesus over his role in training.
By Michael Bennett ·
Cristiano Ronaldo has retired from international football. The 41-year-old striker announced the end of his career with Portugal on Thursday via a video posted to his social media accounts. He stated that the day had come to return the number seven jersey to the national selection.
The announcement follows a public dispute with national team manager Jorge Jesus. Ronaldo's last appearance for Portugal was a 1-0 home victory against Wales in the Nations League on September 24. Jesus subsequently benched Ronaldo for the following match and indicated he did not plan to start him in the next game. In response, Ronaldo left the team's training camp. He later apologized for the departure, but the Portuguese Football Federation fined him and suspended him from the squad for 30 days.
Jesus addressed the situation during a press conference on Friday while unveiling his squad for upcoming Nations League matches. He said he did not expect the retirement to happen so quickly after the split. "I thought he would come back. Of course I had the intention to call him up," Jesus said. He added that he respected Ronaldo's decision to leave at what the striker felt was the right time.
Ronaldo holds the men's international goal record with 146 goals in 234 appearances for Portugal. He will continue playing club football with Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia. The player is currently 15 goals away from reaching 1,000 professional career goals. His international career included six World Cups and a 2016 European Championship title.
The Portuguese Football Federation said on Thursday that it intends to organize a tribute for Ronaldo. Jesus, who took over the national team job after Roberto Martinez left following a disappointing World Cup, said he did not take the public rupture personally. He noted that his decisions were always made with the team's best interests in mind. "As a coach, I have always defended what was best for the team, so I am completely at peace with everything," Jesus said.
Portugal plays Denmark in Braga on November 14 and visits Wales in Cardiff three days later. The team has already qualified for the quarterfinals of the Nations League. Questions about Ronaldo dominated the Friday press conference, but Jesus said he wanted to focus on his current squad.
