{"id":954742,"date":"2026-11-06T13:04:10","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T13:04:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/954742\/"},"modified":"2026-11-06T13:04:10","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T13:04:10","slug":"cristiano-ronaldo-portugals-polarising-icon-and-his-bitter-final-act-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/954742\/","title":{"rendered":"Cristiano Ronaldo: Portugal\u2019s polarising icon and his bitter final act | Football"},"content":{"rendered":"

An inviting volley blazed over the bar, a trademark free kick clattering into the wall, and a showman\u2019s celebrations cut short by an offside goal.<\/p>\n

In many ways, the frustrations Cristiano Ronaldo endured in his final match<\/a> for Portugal reflected his long-altered reality \u2013 one of football\u2019s most devastating players had become a liability.<\/p>\n

Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list<\/p>\n

For many, Ronaldo\u2019s fall from grace could hardly be crueller.<\/p>\n

The boy from Madeira captivated the world for years with his jaw-dropping talent, age-defying athleticism and larger-than-life personality. Yet the final chapter of his international career had anything but a fairytale ending \u2013 a forgettable climax to an otherwise illustrious journey.<\/p>\n

Ronaldo has walked away from the national team<\/a> with individual achievements most footballers can only dream of: the all-time record for international appearances (234) and goals (146).<\/p>\n

\u201cPortugal will always be a part of me,\u201d the 41-year-old said in a five-minute video shared on Thursday, bidding goodbye to the team he first played<\/a> for in 2003.<\/p>\n

But his international retirement was hardly a surprise.<\/p>\n

In the weeks leading up to his announcement, Ronaldo had been at the centre of a controversy<\/a>, leaving fans and critics wondering if that was the end of the road for Portugal\u2019s longstanding captain.<\/p>\n

The forward\u2019s waning influence on the field, a public rift<\/a> with Portugal coach Jorge Jesus and a near 2,000-word statement after a dramatic mid-camp walkout were the perfect recipe for worldwide football gossip \u2013 and ultimately, retirement.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wanted the manager to go out and say \u2018I\u2019ve put a player on the bench at the calibre of Pele and [Diego] Maradona,’\u201d ex-Liverpool player-turned-pundit Jamie Carragher said on The Overlap podcast.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you say that about yourself? It\u2019s mad, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ronaldo\u2019s declining impact for Portugal<\/p>\n

For more than two decades, Ronaldo made himself impossible to ignore in a Portugal shirt. He brought home the Selecao\u2019s first major trophy, the Euro 2016 crown, before adding two Nations League titles in 2019 and 2025.<\/p>\n

But the tide had begun to turn in 2022.<\/p>\n

After being celebrated as a hero, Ronaldo slowly transitioned into the villain during the World Cup in Qatar. A lack of goals saw him dropped to the bench in two crucial knockout games, while his performances and attitude drew criticism as Portugal were sent packing in the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n

\"Portugal\u2019sPortugal\u2019s Cristiano Ronaldo bows out as their biggest star in history [Mike Segar\/Reuters]<\/p>\n

The script repeated itself at Euro 2024 before the FIFA World Cup 2026 marked his final appearance on the sport\u2019s biggest stage \u2013 the forward scoring three times, including his first and only World Cup knockout goal.<\/p>\n

He bowed out of the biggest World Cup in North America as the first player to score in six editions, but those personal landmarks never translated into the trophy he sought. Portugal lost<\/a> to eventual champions Spain in the last 16, and with that, Ronaldo\u2019s dream of being crowned a world champion remained unfulfilled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI won Euro 2016 and, for me, that\u2019s just as important as the World Cup. It will stay with me forever,\u201d the five-time Ballon d\u2019Or winner said this year, seemingly making peace with the bitter ending.<\/p>\n

A household name<\/p>\n

For much of his career, Ronaldo drew constant comparisons with Argentinian legend Lionel Messi; the duo igniting the debate for the \u201cgreatest of all time\u201d (GOAT). It was, thus, rather poetic that Ronaldo followed Messi\u2019s suit in hanging up his boots at the international level.<\/p>\n

But there is a striking contrast in their farewells. Messi\u2019s send-off was marked with celebrations<\/a> after he guided Argentina to a second straight World Cup final<\/a>. Ronaldo, on the other hand, is leaving the scene after a rather tense span in the Portugal camp, and probably without a proper goodbye on the field.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, Ronaldo\u2019s announcement drew an outpouring of affection from fans and figures across the football fraternity.<\/p>\n

\"INTERACTIVE<\/p>\n

Often described as a childhood idol by several teammates at club or country, Ronaldo is one of the most famous people on the planet.<\/p>\n

Walk around your nearest park, and you\u2019re likely to spot a kid dressed in a \u201cRonaldo 7\u201d jersey, kicking a ball around.<\/p>\n

A commercial powerhouse for his national team and clubs alike, Ronaldo\u2019s popularity transcended sports.<\/p>\n

\u201cFew \u200cplayers have ever touched the heart of football fans around the world quite like Cristiano,\u201d FIFA President Gianni Infantino said about him.<\/p>\n

\u201cA career defined by extraordinary talent, relentless determination and an unwavering desire to push the boundaries of what is possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ronaldo has always divided opinions<\/p>\n

But with fame comes increased scrutiny.<\/p>\n

While his tricks and skills earned him the honour of one of the greatest players of all time, Ronaldo\u2019s on-field antics and perceived arrogance divided opinion in the football world.<\/p>\n

In a recent interview with The Athletic, ex-Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag discussed his issues involving Ronaldo, alleging that the forward pulled out of training sessions during his second spell at the club and failed to raise his heart rate to the required level when he did train.<\/p>\n

\u201cI confronted him with this. Many times, I say, \u2018Ronnie, everyone wants to work for you to bring you in the right position, but if you can\u2019t bring yourself in the box, you can\u2019t score\u2019,\u201d Ten Hag said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was not capable to do this. It\u2019s the wrong idea to put this to me that I expected him to do the pressing, that he\u2019s exhausted. But he couldn\u2019t. He ran neither in possession nor out of possession. The reason was because he didn\u2019t prepare himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery top team has to embrace the top player, but the top player has to work for the team,\u201d Ten Hag added.<\/p>\n

While some saw Ronaldo as the icon who transformed Portuguese football, others questioned his individualism.<\/p>\n

The debate over how best to define him will continue for years, but one thing is certain: Ronaldo\u2019s complex legacy is perhaps summed up by his former club Man United\u2019s famous slogan: \u201cHated, adored, never ignored\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"FILEPortugal\u2019s Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with the 2019 UEFA Nations League trophy [File: Martin Meissner\/AP]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An inviting volley blazed over the bar, a trademark free kick clattering into the wall, and a showman\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":954743,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[563],"tags":[64,63,2057,596,7722,588,85],"class_list":["post-954742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-europe","tag-football","tag-portugal","tag-sport","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/954742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=954742"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/954742\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/954743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=954742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=954742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=954742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}