Cristiano Ronaldo’s decision to leave the Portuguese national team after being benched in the last game and following the comments made by Jorge Jesus has caused a “seismic shock” in the country. It is very likely that, after 23 years of service, he has written the final chapter of his career as an international player, and this “farewell” is taking place in a way that no one would want.
According to AS, the Portuguese Football Federation had been expecting—and even hoping (!)— that CR7 would end his run with the national team after the last World Cup, so they wouldn’t be put in the difficult position of having to make tough decisions.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
“The fact that he was benched for the match against Norway triggered a situation that the Federation had suspected for months might arise, given the team’s declining performance in recent matches, including the World Cup.
Officials had hoped to avoid such a scenario and waited—in vain—for Ronaldo to leave the team of his own accord. His departure from the training center in Copenhagen was accompanied by a message wishing his teammates good luck—a message that sounded very much like a final farewell. All that remains is the official announcement, although the possibility is already being discussed in Portugal and AS has confirmed the information,” the report states.
In fact, while searching for a successor to Roberto Martínez as head coach, the federation did not rule out those who made it a condition that Ronaldo not be called up. “During the search for Roberto Martínez’s successor, officials from the Portuguese Football Federation were open to the possibility that a coaching candidate might make the exclusion of Cristiano Ronaldo from the team a condition for accepting the position.
As reported by AS, one of the coaches the Federation contacted was José Mourinho. Just a few weeks ago, the idea of a Portuguese national team without CR7 seemed impossible; however, officials, players, and coaches were already preparing for that possibility. In fact, the Portuguese Football Federation believed—and had conveyed to the prospective coaches— that Cristiano Ronaldo would end his international career after the World Cup; however, the forward’s silence “forced” Jorge Jesus to call him up again.
The World Cup elimination at the hands of Spain left a bitter taste for the Al-Nassr player, who decided to continue adding to his record, which currently stands at 234 appearances for Portugal. Tensions had already arisen regarding CR7’s role—including public reactions from teammates and criticism from the press— but the reality is that the forward did not want to end his international career after that disappointing performance.”
*photo source: AP
