It appears that Cristiano Ronaldo is nearing the end of his international career with the Portuguese national team, following questions about his future on the international stage after clashes with coach Jorge Jesus, which led to his departure from the current national team camp.
The crisis began during the match against Norway in the UEFA Nations League, when Ronaldo sat on the bench for the entire game, despite having started the previous match against Wales and warming up for a long period during the Norway match without playing a single minute.
Ronaldo's dissatisfaction grew due to Jesus's statements before the Denmark match, in which he revealed that Cristiano would not play in the game.
Jesus confirmed that the decision regarding Ronaldo's participation rests solely with him, stressing that all players are subject to the same rules and that he does not allow any player to influence his technical decisions. This angered the 41-year-old and prompted him to leave the camp.
What has Cristiano Ronaldo achieved with the Portuguese national team?
Ronaldo began his international career with the Portuguese national team in 2003, at the age of 18.
Ronaldo is considered the most capped player in the world, having reached 234 international matches, and he tops the list of all-time international top scorers with 146 goals.
Ronaldo captained the generation that led the Portuguese national team to its first major title in history by winning the European Championship "Euro 2016".
Ronaldo's success with Portugal did not stop at the European Championship; he also led the national team to win the inaugural edition of the UEFA Nations League in 2019.
In 2025, Ronaldo added another international title to his career by winning the UEFA Nations League with Portugal for the second time, making the Portuguese national team the first side to win the tournament twice.
It is worth noting that Ronaldo has set several records in the European Championship: he has the most appearances (6 editions), the highest number of matches played (30 games), and is the all-time top scorer (14 goals).
Cristiano also became the first player to score in six different FIFA World Cup editions, from the 2006 World Cup through to the 2026 edition.
It should be noted that Ronaldo, who has scored 979 goals throughout his professional career so far, stated days ago his desire to score his 1,000th goal in a match for Portugal.
