Ronaldo ends international career after 23 years with Portugal

Ronaldo announced his international retirement on Thursday, bringing a 23-year spell with Portugal to an end. The decision followed a crisis with his coach, Jorge Jesus: Ronaldo had left the national team’s camp in Copenhagen without permission in protest at his coach’s comments. Aged 41, he chose to step away as Portuguese supporters hoped to see him return after his sanction. A former Portugal coach considers the decision late and says he will not lead the national side in the future.

Vingada, who coached Portugal in 1993, defended Ronaldo’s choice while expressing regret about how the situation ended. “I think the decision to retire from international football was the best one, even if nobody wins in this situation,” he told Kooora. In his view, the dispute between player and coach, along with their statements, left no room for reconciliation.

The former coach also believes both sides mishandled events. “Of course, it is a major loss, especially since things were not handled well by either side,” he said of the impact on Portugal. He qualified his assessment, however: from a technical standpoint, the decision seemed natural to him, even though the precise events had not yet been clarified.

Vingada nevertheless considers the timing late. He believes Ronaldo should have announced his retirement after the 2026 World Cup. The matches that followed did not offer the best opportunity for Ronaldo to conclude his international career in the way he deserved, he said.

This retirement applies to international football, not the end of his playing career. Vingada believes Ronaldo should continue with Al Nassr in pursuit of the 1,000-goal target as soon as possible. He thinks that once Ronaldo reaches that mark, the forward may be nearing the end of his playing career, and added that he would like to play alongside his son at Al Nassr. As for a possible return to Portugal’s national team in an administrative or technical role, Vingada does not expect it: he believes Ronaldo’s goals after his eventual retirement will be focused more on life outside football.