Ronaldo quits Portugal national training camp over wounded ego

Cristiano Ronaldo left Portugal's national team camp early after new head coach Jorge Jesus left him out of the starting lineup for the Nations League match against Norway and didn't bring him on even as a substitute — the offended forward disappeared into the locker room straight after the final whistle and didn't join the team in thanking the fans.

Jesus refused to give in to Ronaldo's pressure

After the match, Jesus stressed that no player would change the coach's tactical plans and intentions — for Ronaldo, this apparently struck a blow to his pride, and he responded by leaving the camp.

Many experts and former football stars had already been saying that the national team essentially no longer needs Ronaldo after the recent World Cup, where the 41-year-old forward hindered his teammates more than he helped them. “He's like a grandfather hobbling around the pitch. How can coach Martinez give so much leeway to one player? Ronaldo is the brightest footballer in Portugal's history, but the coach needs to be stronger than that,” former English forward Chris Sutton said, for example.

“Ronaldo no longer merits a place in Portugal's starting lineup. But apparently no one dares tell him that to his face. By continuing to occupy a position he can no longer justify with results, he is holding the national team back and tarnishing the legacy he built over his career,” the British newspaper The Guardian wrote after Portugal's elimination from the World Cup.

Ronaldo dreams of a thousand goals

Ronaldo considered leaving the national team after the World Cup elimination, but the thought that he could reach an incredible milestone — a thousand career goals (he currently has 979 goals to his name) — proved stronger. “I still believe I can help the national team achieve its goals. I'll stop when I feel I'm no longer useful to it,” Ronaldo said a few days ago.

But the national team is not Ronaldo's personal record collection. How differently his main rival Lionel Messi acted — after losing to Spain in the World Cup final, he announced his retirement from Argentina's national team. “I have nothing more to give it. There are young guys here who deserve a chance,” Messi said.

He could easily have kept taking the field, scoring goals and breaking new records. But he understood that even for the world's best footballers, there comes a moment when you need to pack your bags, say thank you, and make way for others. Messi understood that. Ronaldo, with all due respect for what he has achieved in football, apparently does not.

Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz