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Cristiano Ronaldo announced his retirement from the Portuguese national team via Instagram. Coach Jesus said that he has no information about this. There was a rift between the two sides on the issue of starting and leaving the team earlier. The Football Association publicly paid tribute to him.
Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has announced his retirement from the national team, ending his 23-year international career. Portugal national team coach Jorge Jesus, who had a falling out with him, revealed that he had no prior knowledge. It is reported that Ronaldo ignored the call of Jesus three times before announcing his retirement.
Ronaldo, 41, announced his retirement from the national team via an Instagram video just a day before Jesus announced the UEFA Nations League roster this month, the BBC reported.
Jesus attended a press conference the following day and said that Ronaldo had not informed him in advance of his decision to retire. “I knew it at the same time as everyone else. Before that, I had no idea about it.” He pointed out that Ronaldo continued to play and score goals at that time and he was one of the players on their call-up list.
In September this year, Ronaldo learned that he would not start in the UEFA Nations League game against Denmark four days later, and then left the national team training camp early. Cristiano Ronaldo later said that Jesus “broke his promise”, but also acknowledged that he should be punished for leaving the team early. At that time he had emphasized that he had no intention of leaving the national team.
At the press conference the media kept asking about the dispute between the two and Jesus seemed clearly impatient. He stressed: “All my decisions are based on the team. As a coach, I always defend what is best for the team, and my conscience is clear regarding my decisions.”
Jesus said he has not yet contacted Ronaldo after his retirement announcement. Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proença promised to pay tribute to the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star with the highest respect.
Proenza said: “No matter how many tributes you pay, it’s not enough to thank him for everything he did for Portuguese football and the country.” He also said that the best way to remember Ronaldo is to continue his never-ending ambition, to always aim to win and to never be afraid to be the best in the world.
He finally thanked Ronaldo: “Captain, thank you for everything you did. This will always be your home.”
