Was Ronaldo expecting his Portugal teammates to comfort him the way Javier Mascherano comforted Messi after the 2016 Copa América final?
Mascherano told him, “Keep your head up. You’re the best player in the world. Don’t blame yourself.” The Argentina squad used to say they played to prove Messi was the best.
That was never going to happen with Ronaldo.
How do you expect your teammates to love you when you insist on taking almost every free kick—even from impossible distances—despite a short pass often being the better option? On the rare occasion he let Nuno Mendes take one, he immediately pointed to his own head, as if to say it was his decision. If that chance on the wing had ended in a goal, he probably would’ve celebrated it like it was all about him.
This is the same Ronaldo who, when Bruno Fernandes scored against Uruguay at the World Cup, appeared on camera insisting he had touched the ball and even appealed for the goal to be credited to him.
The same Ronaldo who looked visibly unhappy when Bernardo Silva won the UEFA Nations League Player of the Tournament award while everyone else congratulated him.
The result?
No one seemed willing to carry him through his farewell to international football.
A fan poll by A Bola had around 70% voting for Ronaldo to start on the bench. Some teammates reportedly described him as just another player among the squad. And when Portugal were eliminated, there was no iconic scene of the team rallying around him.
Cristiano Ronaldo—the player who left the international stage without a farewell. 🤷🏻♂️🇵🇹