“A Historic Humiliation”: Ronaldo’s Unprecedented Departure from the National Team, Direct Attack on the Coach, and Threat of Revelations… But Portugal Secures a 4-2 Victory in an “Even Better” Outcome

*This content was translated by AI.

Even a legend who once reigned supreme in world football could not defeat the passage of time. Cristiano Ronaldo (41) suffered the worst humiliation of his career and was disgraced out of the national team, yet Portugal actually achieved a decisive victory.

Sports media outlet “Sports Illustrated (SI)” reported on the 2nd (Korean time), stating, “It has been less than 24 hours since Ronaldo devastated the national team and left camp. Amidst this, Coach Jorge Jesus firmly maintained his stance that he was not at fault in the series of events that led to a crisis.” The outlet further noted, “The Portuguese national team secured a valuable three points even without their captain, Ronaldo.”

It was an unprecedented humiliation. In the away match against Norway in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Nations League, Ronaldo remained on the bench and did not play a single minute despite being in perfect condition with no injuries. This marked the first time in 18 years (6,678 days)—since the Euro 2008 match against Switzerland on June 15, 2008—that Ronaldo had been listed in the starting lineup for an official match but missed all 90 minutes.

For Ronaldo, who had spent only 24 matches (1.76%) sitting on the bench throughout his career of 1,364 games since turning professional in 2002, it was an unbearable disgrace. As the final whistle blew, Ronaldo did not join his teammates’ celebration to greet the fans; instead, he walked alone into the locker room with a stern expression.

The aftermath grew uncontrollably large. Ronaldo strongly objected to Coach Jesus’s remarks at the press conference, his reduced playing time, and the failure to fulfill a promise of public apology. At the press conference, Coach Jesus drove home the point by saying, “I am the coach. No player can make decisions for me.” Having suffered a fatal blow to his pride, Ronaldo met with Pedro Proença, President of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), at their Copenhagen accommodation ahead of the match against Denmark, and then abruptly left the national team camp.

Through his personal social media service (SNS), Ronaldo stated, “After watching the coach’s press conference, I spoke with the federation president and decided to withdraw. When the time comes, I will reveal the true reason why I had to leave the national team to the Portuguese people,” even foreshadowing further revelations.

However, Coach Jesus did not flinch despite Ronaldo’s departure. Ahead of the match against Denmark, Coach Jesus said, “I will explain everything after the Norway match ended. Having been in football for decades, I know I have committed no fault that could have created this situation.” He added, “I will not hide or run away. The fact that Ronaldo is an icon of football remains unchanged, and no one can take that away from him,” drawing a clear line.

The most painful humiliation Ronaldo experienced was completed on the pitch. Portugal, without Ronaldo, secured a 4-2 victory in their match against Denmark. Rafael Leão inherited the number 7 jersey, which had been synonymous with Ronaldo.

In particular, Goncalo Ramos’s outstanding performance at the forefront in place of Ronaldo provided perfect justification for Coach Jesus’s choice. Ramos assisted Joao Cancelo’s opening goal in the 13th minute of the first half and then scored directly in the 25th minute of the first half, contributing one goal and one assist to drive the team to victory. Having also scored the winning goal in the previous match against Norway, keeping Ronaldo on the bench, Ramos delivered strong performances in two consecutive matches.

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*This content was translated by AI.