The question in Portugal is no longer limited to what happened between Cristiano Ronaldo and Jorge Jesus, nor to the reasons that prompted the national team captain to leave the camp angry. After days of the crisis that shook the Portuguese national team, the discussion moved to a more sensitive question: How can a career that lasted more than two decades with the national team end without its final moments turning into a scar in the history of one of the country’s greatest players?
Although Portugal prepares to face Norway on Sunday in the European Nations League, Ronaldo remains strongly present on the scene. The match that might give the team a ticket to the quarter-finals did not succeed in diverting attention from its captain, while behind the scenes attempts began to search for a way out of the crisis that would preserve the player’s position and restore calm to the team.
In recent hours, the discussion in the Portuguese press has gone beyond the details of what happened on the bench, reaching the future of Ronaldo himself. Under the title “Cristiano Ronaldo: The importance of knowing when to leave,” the former player and analyst Diogo Luis reopened the file of the end that awaits the 41-year-old. The irony here is that Ronaldo had described Jesus, only about a week ago, as the ideal man to lead the national team, before the relationship between the two parties turned around and ended with the leader leaving the camp. Diogo Luis did not question Ronaldo's historical status, but rather focused on the records he achieved and his influence on football and on the concept of professionalism, body care, nutrition and recovery. But he believed that the most difficult challenge for exceptional athletes is often knowing the right moment to stop. At the age of 41, Ronaldo, according to his vision, is no longer the same player who was deciding matches at the peak of his career, and therefore he needs people around him who do not always agree with him, but also tell him what he does not want to hear. The decision to leave the camp was the most sensitive point. Ronaldo felt that he did not get the respect he deserved after he warmed up for a long period without participating, but being the captain of the national team and a symbol of Portuguese football, according to the article, required him to deal with the situation in a different way, and not leave in the middle of the camp.
The result was not just a dispute between a player and a coach. Within hours, attention shifted from the national team's victories to Ronaldo's crisis, and the captain's future became the first news. But another narrative emerged in Portugal, more harsh towards Jesús. Veteran Portuguese coach Manuel Jose considered that Ronaldo “fell into the trap,” and went so far as to say that what happened was “planned” by Jesus. This situation reopened the debate about the coach's management of what was perhaps the most sensitive moment in Ronaldo's international career. Could it have been dealt with differently? Was what happened a natural result of a technical decision, or did the way the situation was managed push the crisis to a point from which it was no longer easy to return? In recent hours, new details have also emerged about Ronaldo's departure from the camp. The leader did not leave alone, but was accompanied by Antonio Costa, who is responsible for the equipment in the team and who is close to him, after he received instructions to pack his bags and accompany him, to return later with him to Al-Nasr Saudi Arabia. As Ronaldo prepares to return to Riyadh, the possibility of reaching a quick solution has become more complicated, at a time when attempts are being made behind the scenes to prevent his departure from the camp from being his last scene in his country’s shirt. Jesus himself tried to calm the atmosphere before facing Norway, describing Ronaldo as “a symbol of the Portuguese national team and a symbol of Portugal,” and preferred to postpone talking in detail about what happened until after the match. At the same time, the coach agreed to the principle of holding a “peace summit” in an attempt to end the crisis, while the next step is still linked to Ronaldo’s position. Even Jesus' statements about the recent victory over Denmark carried an indirect message. He confirmed that he was happy with the victory, the players and the fans, before adding: “I was missing something, and this will remain in my heart.” Outside Portugal, the issue began to take a different form, with the title of Ronaldo's legacy more than his dispute with his coach.
Zinedine Zidane, with whom he lived one of the most successful stages of his career at Real Madrid, was asked on Sunday about the possible international end of the Portuguese star, and he refused to reduce his history to the recent crisis. Zidane said: “We must praise his great career.” What he did is exceptional,” adding that he was lucky to work with him, and that Ronaldo helped him achieve “amazing things,” before sending him a clear greeting in appreciation of his career. On the other hand, the features of the farewell scenario began to appear behind the scenes. The idea of Ronaldo returning for one last match with Portugal is still on the table, especially if the team succeeds in qualifying for the Nations League quarter-finals early. The ideal scenario requires Portugal to secure qualification against Norway, which could make the match against Denmark on November 14 in Braga an opportunity to organize a farewell for Ronaldo away from the pressure of a fateful match. But reaching this end first requires reconciliation. Ronaldo cut off direct contact with the Portuguese Federation, but the communication channels were not completely closed. His circle is still in contact, and there are figures close to him who have previously worked with the union and can play the role of mediator between the two parties.
Huge billboards supporting Ronaldo also appeared in the streets of Porto and Lisbon, indicating that the issue did not remain within the locker room, but rather turned into a public discussion about the way the player who carried the national team for years should be treated. Here the comparison with Lionel Messi becomes present in a way that cannot be ignored. As the Argentine prepares to end his international trip amid a festive atmosphere, Ronaldo faces the possibility that the crisis of the last days will become part of his farewell memory. After 234 international matches and 146 goals, the issue today does not seem to be related only to who was right: Ronaldo or Jesus. The biggest question is whether both sides are able to move on from what happened before a moment of anger turns into the final chapter of a story that has lasted more than twenty years.
