Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed his retirement from the Portuguese national team, as the country's attention has been focused on manager Jorge Jesus.
Ronaldo's decision to walk away from international football has sent shockwaves throughout the world. At 41 years old, the Portuguese star has decided that he will no longer accept call-ups to the national team following disagreements with the federation president and manager Jorge Jesus. Today, the coach announced his first squad without CR7.
This comes ahead of the final international break of 2026, during which Portugal will face Denmark on November 14 and Wales on November 17 in the UEFA Nations League. The Portuguese side have already secured qualification for the competition's next phase. Jorge Jesus revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo did not personally inform him that he would never wear the national team shirt again.
“The decision was communicated to me yesterday, as everyone knows, following the video he posted. I did not try to speak to Cris. It was always going to be part of history that Cris would leave the national team during my four-year contract with the Portuguese Football Federation, which runs until 2030. If it had not happened this time, when selecting the squad, and if he had felt it was better, I would have respected his decision again. At some point during this Nations League campaign, it was always going to happen. Ronaldo's departure was always going to be linked to my time here. The only alternative would have been for him to keep playing until 2030,”
Jorge Jesus said during his press conference.
It is worth remembering that everything began during the previous international break, following an alleged promise from Jorge Jesus to Cristiano Ronaldo that he would receive playing time in the match against Norway. That ultimately did not happen, and the forward reportedly interpreted it as a betrayal.
A series of disagreements followed, fueled by comments from Jorge Jesus, eventually leading Cristiano Ronaldo to leave the national team's training camp and, weeks later, announce his retirement from Portugal.
“Echoing Cris's words, our objective is renewal and looking toward the future. I am not interested in talking about Cristiano or what happened during the last international break. Of course, I thought he would return. I considered calling him and speaking with him. But I have to respect him. He decided that it was time to leave the national team. Sooner or later, it was going to happen. He felt this was the right moment to walk away. I have to respect that, while never forgetting what he has meant to Portugal and what he continues to mean to Portugal. He is a symbol for young players who are just beginning their careers. Those are two completely different things,”
Jorge Jesus added, discussing the beginning of a new era without his star striker.
Portugal lost the greatest striker in their history and arguably the greatest footballer to ever played for the country. Jorge Jesus confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo never contacted him to discuss his desire to leave the national team, even after the coach had publicly left the door open for his return.