Portugal’s loudest line on how Ronaldo’s international career ended did not come from a club manager or a federation president, but from a former referee turned analyst.
Duarte Gomes, the former head of the Portuguese Football Federation’s refereeing committee, called the sequence “a shame” in a column for O Jogo.
“Algures no processo, faltou um adulto na sala. Uma pena.”
The phrase translates as “somewhere in the process, an adult was missing from the room. A shame.” Gomes called the way the exit was handled thoughtless and avoidable, writing that Ronaldo would always be a unique figure in the history of Portuguese and world football and that his career deserved another kind of ending.
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How it actually ended
Ronaldo, 41, announced his retirement in an Instagram video on Thursday, telling supporters the day had come for him to hand back the No. 7 shirt.
“I end a journey that began in August 2003 and changed my life forever,” he wrote in the accompanying message carried by A Bola, signing off with “Portugal estará sempre em mim” (Portugal will always be in me).
He leaves international football with 146 goals in 234 caps across 23 years, the European Championship Portugal lifted in 2016 and the Nations League titles won in 2019 and 2025.
A month after Messi’s goodbye
The timing sharpened the contrast in Lisbon. On October 6, Lionel Messi had signed off from Argentina with a goal and two assists against Benin at a sold-out Monumental, framed by drones, fireworks and a stadium concert in Buenos Aires.
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O Jogo put the comparison in its own headline, running the two farewells as two legends and two very different ways to say goodbye.
Ronaldo’s final weeks in the shirt had looked nothing like Messi’s. He had walked out of the national-team camp in October after Jorge Jesus benched him against Norway following a promise of around 30 minutes on the pitch. The federation suspended him for 30 days and imposed a fine.
The federation’s tribute, still unscheduled
The Portuguese Football Federation has pledged a ceremonial tribute, calling Ronaldo an inspiring leader, an example of dedication and the ultimate symbol of the national team. No date, no opponent and no venue have been announced.
Ronaldo’s club career continues at Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
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