LISBON — Cristiano Ronaldo is facing a defining decision over his Portugal future after walking out on the squad following a high-profile falling-out with new head coach Jorge Jesus, as a nation divides over the 41-year-old's next move. While Lionel Messi, 39, prepares for a hero's farewell with a home friendly against Benin on Tuesday after retiring from international football following the World Cup, Ronaldo opted to play on — only for his career to potentially end with him running down the tunnel after a match he did not play.
The Al-Nassr forward, who has scored 146 goals in 234 caps for Portugal — both world records — started the 1-0 win over Wales and said less than two weeks ago: "I had a conversation with our president, with our coach. I still believe that I'm able to help the national team to reach what they want." Jesus, who replaced Roberto Martinez after the World Cup and previously managed Ronaldo at Al-Nassr last season, then told him he would be on the bench against Norway. After being asked to warm up for a prolonged period he remained an unused substitute for the first time in 18 years and headed straight down the tunnel at the final whistle rather than joining his team-mates to greet the fans. Guillem Balague, who wrote a book about Ronaldo in 2015, said: "He gets asked to warm up for the whole of the second half, practically. There are tacit rules in football: you don't do that to Pele, to Diego Maradona, to Lionel Messi, to Cristiano, right? That's what he's seen, that you don't do that to those kind of players." Jesus said there was no falling out but confirmed Ronaldo would not start the next match against Denmark either, at which point Ronaldo left the camp and wrote on social media: "In due course, I will tell the truth to all the Portuguese people about my reasons for leaving the national team, to which I have always been dedicated."
Portuguese FA president Pedro Proenca flew to Copenhagen, landing at 02:30 in the morning, to try to smooth things over but failed. He has since said: "He is in the national team on sporting merit, and that must be unquestionable. We have to pay tribute to Ronaldo." Talks between Ronaldo, his representatives and the Portuguese FA are ongoing. After Portugal beat Norway on Sunday in their final Nations League match — again without Ronaldo — Jesus said: "If he wants to, he'll return to the national team. We can talk before the next call-up, but Cris is the one who's going to decide. He's the one who should decide how he wants to end his time with the national team."
The split has divided supporters. In Lisbon several billboards praising Ronaldo and criticising Jesus appeared, including one next to the Estadio da Luz — home of Benfica, who Jesus managed to three league titles — which read: "Thank you Cristiano Ronaldo for everything you did for Portugal. You will always be our captain. Jorge Jesus was not up to the task. Lack of sensitivity. Treating a captain wrongly. Inflated ego." At the Denmark fixture some fans wore T-shirts spelling out 'Love you Jesus' while others were head-to-toe in Ronaldo merchandise, and Denmark striker Rasmus Hojlund celebrated his goal with his idol's trademark 'siuuu', as he has done previously against Portugal. Portugal's newspapers reflected the schism, with Record — in which the forward owns shares — leading with "Ronaldo leaves after clash with Jesus", Jornal de Noticias calling it "the end of a historic era", Bola describing "A sad goodbye" and Jogo stating "CR7 turns his back on the national team". Videos of angry fans ripping up Portugal shirts circulated online, while Jesus and Proenca were booed leaving a building in Copenhagen. Portugal fan Maria Ribeiro, from Lisbon, said: "It is so hard for all us fans. We all love him but it is getting too much now. It is hard to imagine Portugal without Ronaldo but maybe this is the time. There is too much arguing between ourselves."
The episode leaves Ronaldo's pursuit of 1,000 career goals — he has 979 for Portugal, Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Al-Nassr — potentially to be completed at club level in Saudi Arabia. At the summer World Cup his old rival Messi scored eight goals and assisted four more to take Argentina to the final, while Portugal fell at the last-16 stage despite Ronaldo scoring three times. With Portugal next facing Denmark in November, the decision rests with Ronaldo on whether he returns and how he wants to end his time with the national team.