Cristiano Ronaldo’s history with the Portugal national team could have had one last attempt to avoid an abrupt ending. When the forward had already decided to leave the camp in Copenhagen, Jorge Jesus and Pedro Proença, president of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), went to the airport to try to convince him to stay with the team.
The move came after Cristiano had already left the rest of the squad and was preparing to leave Denmark. According to information published in Portugal, the coach and the executive tried to change the captain’s mind in a last-minute conversation, but the forward stood by his decision and boarded his private plane.
The episode gains greater relevance after the Portuguese newspaper O Jogo reported that Cristiano’s decision not to return to the national team would be irreversible. If confirmed, the match against Wales at Jose Alvalade Stadium would have been the last international match for one of the players with the longest career in Portuguese national team history.
Is Cristiano Ronaldo Done With Portugal? Here’s What We Know
According to O Jogo, the scenario within Portugal points to a definitive farewell. “An irreversible decision, as O JOGO has learned: he will not return to the national team, so the match against Wales, at Alvalade, will go down in history as the last one he played representing Portugal,” the outlet published.
The crisis erupted during Portugal’s UEFA Nations League camp. Cristiano left the team in Copenhagen after Jorge Jesus’ press conference and after holding a conversation with Pedro Proença.
The player later confirmed his decision on social media. “After the national coach’s press conference and after a conversation with the FPF president, I have made the decision to leave the national team camp,” Cristiano wrote.
In the same message, Ronaldo said he will explain the reasons for his departure later. “In due time, I will tell all Portuguese the truth about the reasons that motivated my departure from the national team, to which I have always dedicated myself,” he added.
The situation led Jorge Jesus and Pedro Proenca to make a last move to prevent Cristiano from leaving Copenhagen. Both went to the airport while the forward waited for his private plane in Madrid, hoping to convince him to return with the rest of the squad.
The effort was unsuccessful. Cristiano maintained his stance, boarded the plane and left Denmark, while the coach and the Federation president returned without managing to get the captain to change his decision. That conversation would have been the last opportunity to avoid a rupture that now threatens to become definitive.
If his international retirement is confirmed, Portugal would lose the player with the most matches and goals in its national team’s history: 234 appearances and 146 goals. Cristiano debuted with the senior national team in 2003 and, for more than two decades, played in six World Cups and six European Championships.
The forward was part of the generation that won the 2016 European Championship and the 2019 Nations League, plus another continental title. His career made him the main Portuguese offensive reference for much of the 21st century.
His last possible match would have been against Wales. Cristiano started and played 67 minutes before being substituted by Joao Palhinha. According to Sofascore, he recorded seven shots, two on target, and received a rating of 6.1.
What seemed destined to become a farewell, accompanied by a tribute, could end in a completely different way. The visit by Jorge Jesus and Pedro Proença to the airport remained the last known attempt to retain Cristiano Ronaldo, who finally left Copenhagen and now keeps in doubt, or, according to O Jogo, practically closed, his future with Portugal.
Is Cristiano Ronaldo Retiring From Portugal? Here’s What We Know