it came after a bitter fallout with Portugal coach Jorge Jesus that led to the Manchester United and Real Madrid great walking out on what turned out to be his last international call up While Ronaldo’s video message to announce his retirement on Thursday was undoubtedly emotional. Cristiano Ronaldo’s glorious Portugal career ultimately ended in acrimony. What a contrast to his great rival Lionel Messi, who also retired from international football this year, but only after leading Argentina to back-to-back World Cup finals. As has been the case throughout their record-breaking careers, it is impossible not to compare the two greatest players of their generation and, for many, the greatest of all time.
With little to separate their club careers — Messi has won more Ballon d’Ors, Ronaldo has won more Champions League titles — their international achievements have become a gauge to help settle the GOAT (greatest of all time) debate. Canada and Mexico, much of the debate surrounding Portugal was whether he should remain an automatic starter While he became the first player to score at six different World Cups during this year’s tournament in the United States. After his underwhelming World Cup in Qatar, he failed to score during Portugal’s run to the quarterfinals at the European Championship in 2024 and was in tears on the field after missing an extra time penalty earlier in the tournament.
He was later fined and suspended. And even if both were token gestures — the fine was $285 — they represented an unedifying end to a career that saw Ronaldo lead the national team to three major trophies and become the all time leading goal scorer in men’s international football. At the age of 39, with eight goals and four assists, Messi trailed only Kylian Mbappé for the most goal contributions. Statistically, it was Messi’s best-ever World Cup and in keeping with the remarkable form he produced at the tail end of his international career, which saw him win three major titles from the age of 34.
“…when things go well, ‘Cristiano is good,’ when things go bad, ‘Cristiano is a retired player, is old. It will always be like that. He walked out on the team and later released a statement claiming he had been told he would play 30 minutes and coach Jesus had gone back on his word.
“But it’s always like that,” he said in June. Ronaldo then wanted Jesus to acknowledge his “mistake” during a news conference, which the coach didn’t do, prompting his star player to walk out on the team. The Portuguese Football Federation said it intends to organize a tribute to Ronaldo “in which the fans and the country can one more time applaud and celebrate a player who has given us so much.”
