Cristiano Ronaldo quits Portugal after training‑camp dispute with coach Jorge Jesus
Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, announced his international retirement from the Portugal national team after 23 years following a fallout with coach Jorge Jesus that was resolved with a 30-day sanction, already served, and a fine of 255 euros for leaving the team's training camp without permission.
Ronaldo's final appearance for Portugal came on 24 September against Wales, and a message circulated across the country thanking him and calling him a global ambassador and an inspiration to millions; despite that public gratitude, the manner of his exit left a bitter taste. There was debate over whether he would be selected again — Jesus said the door was open and the decision was Ronaldo's — but what was clear to staff was that he was no longer an automatic starter.
Jesus had kept Ronaldo on the bench for one match and said he did not plan to start him in the next fixture, after which Ronaldo left the camp. The sanction and fine were imposed for leaving the training camp without permission, and the 30-day penalty had already been served prior to his retirement announcement.
As a young player Ronaldo arrived at international camp with a backward baseball cap, large sunglasses and headphones loud enough to be heard from a distance, and he would not take the cap off to eat among veterans such as Luis Figo and Rui Costa. Luiz Felipe Scolari described him as an extraordinary player who was immature and obsessed with showing off; Scolari reprimanded him publicly and then told him privately that, if he changed his attitude, he would one day captain Portugal.
The first major disappointment of Ronaldo's early years came at home in Euro 2004: at 19 he played in the final at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, where Angelos Charisteas's headed goal gave Greece a surprise victory. The image of the teenager crying on his own pitch became widely seen and, according to the article, left him with a hunger that never really went away. At that time Figo still wore the number 7 shirt, so Ronaldo took 17; when Figo left the national team in 2006, the shirt and the team became Ronaldo's.
In September 2005, before a qualifier in Russia, Scolari and Figo went to Ronaldo's room to tell him his father had died; Scolari offered to send him home but Ronaldo chose to play, asked his team-mates to behave as normal and spent time in the dressing room doing ball tricks. He later called Scolari "father".
Tensions reappeared after the 2010 World Cup exit to Spain when, asked to explain a poor performance, Ronaldo told journalists to ask the coach; Carlos Queiroz felt undermined as Ronaldo's influence in camp changed routines and habits. The sociologist Joao Nuno Coelho is quoted describing the national team as a representation of Portuguese identity and the country's need to be seen internationally, with Ronaldo standing at the centre and creating contradictory feelings — some questioned his individualism and ego, while many remained proud of him. Former international Jorge Andrade said some supporters preferred figures like Figo, Eusebio, Paulo Futre or Rui Costa, but the arrival of titles eased doubts.
Under Fernando Santos in 2016 Ronaldo accepted a role as a centre forward alongside Nani and, according to the article, began to take a coach's instructions more naturally; after the opening draw with Iceland he told Nani in private that he trusted Santos and the dressing room started to recognise him as a real captain. He missed a penalty against Austria and barely slept afterwards; Santos woke up and found him already awake. At the Marcoussis training camp he took a fan's megaphone and told supporters Portugal had won nothing yet. In the Euro 2016 final in Paris he left the pitch injured and in tears, affected by a muscle complaint; Nani wore the armband, while at half-time Ronaldo pulled himself together to encourage his team-mates and, before extra time and still limping, told Eder he would score. During extra-time he stood in the technical area giving orders until the fourth official sent him back, a behaviour other coaches described as excessive.
Ronaldo made his Portugal debut in 2003 when the country was still searching for a first major title and, the article argues, he belongs to the group of players who changed a national team for good. The July 2016 win delivered Portugal's first European Championship; three years later he scored a hat-trick against Switzerland to put Portugal into the first Nations League final, which they won; and in 2025 he lifted a second Nations League. He scored 146 goals and won 234 caps for Portugal, and the piece notes that no one has scored more goals for a national side or made more appearances in the Portugal shirt. At the 2018 World Cup he scored three against Spain, including a free-kick after 45 attempts in major tournaments, although Portugal still exited to Uruguay; after a difficult 2026 World Cup some commentators focused on him still starting up front despite the article stating that, statistically, his best period came under Roberto Martinez, with 28 goals in 37 games, 0.756 per match, improving on the 0.624 under Santos.
The Portuguese football federation has announced a special tribute to honour Ronaldo's contribution to the national team, a step the article says is necessary because his exit has not left fans room for the kind of public celebration they want to be part of.
