On November 5, Cristiano Ronaldo made the announcement that the world was dreading. The 41-year-old Portugal level called it a day as far as international football is concerned. This means that his last game for his country was the match vs Wales on September 24 in the UEFA Nations League. After 23 years of representing Portugal, Ronaldo's journey was at an end.

Poor Timing of Retirement Decision

While the retirement itself was emotional, the timing was not fortunate from Ronaldo's point of view. A little over a month ago, the Portugal captain had left the national camp midway during the Nations League. He returned home because of a spat with coach Jorge Jesus. Later on, CR7 made an apology on social media and said he was ready for the consequences. But he also accused Jorge of breaking his trust.

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Punished for Leaving National Camp

Ronaldo was fined the equivalent of Rs. 27,000 and banned for 30 days that began on October 1 and ended on October 30. He was expected to make his international return vs Denmark on November 14 but that's not happening anymore. The reason for the fallout with Jorge was when the legend was benched from the September 27 Portugal vs Norway game. Jorge also said that Ronaldo would not start vs Denmark on October 1. His decision to quit international football is a bad aftertaste of the spat.

A Bad Aftertaste

Now an exit with no farewell and post a fallout may not completely impact Ronaldo's legacy, but it does leave its scar. Ronaldo's name is not tarnished but whenever his retirement is looked back on, people will remember the role of the spat with Jorge. One subject will not be able to be brought up without the other one being raised in future years.

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Lionel Messi's Grand Farewell vs Cristiano Ronaldo's Career-End Controversy

Now compare it to how Lionel Messi left the stage. On August 31, he announced his international retirement a little over a month after the 39-year-old had taken his team to the FIFA World Cup 2026 final. Argentina urged him to play one last game and on October 6, in a friendly vs Benin, Messi scored a goal and provided two assists to end on a high. He got his grand exit, but for Ronaldo it was just like fading away into oblivion.

The Contrast of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's Exits

The difference is that Argentina were not ready for Messi to leave. Many felt he could have even played till the 2028 Copa America. But in Ronaldo's case, Portugal seemed ready to move on and had in many ways as well. It was almost as if retirement was long overdue. Since the FIFA World Cup 2022, Ronaldo had been pushing himself to play in the 2026 edition and after they failed to make it to the last eight, Portugal knew it was time. Ronaldo did too, no doubt, and now it's finally happened. It was not a glorious exit, but his legacy is set. However, the Jorge incident will always be linked to his decision to leave in the years to come.