The end of Cristiano Ronaldo or just an ego trip? | Football Weekly
Cristiano Ronaldo has left the Portuguese team camp this week after a public spat with new manager Jorge Jesus. Was that the end of his international career or just an ego trip? Watch the full podcast episode ► https://youtu.be/y0kC40zDlCM Subscribe to Guardian Football ► https://www.youtube.com/@guardianfootball?subconfirmation=1 We want your feedback! If you had any thoughts on our coverage of the World Cup, please let us know here ► www.theguardian.com/YTWorldCupSurvey The Guardian publishes independent journalism, made possible by supporters. Contribute to The Guardian today ► https://support.theguardian.com/ Guardian Football Weekly: https://www.tiktok.com/@guardianfootballweekly https://www.instagram.com/guardianfootballweekly/ Website ► https://www.theguardian.com Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/theguardian Bluesky ► https://bsky.app/profile/sport.theguardian.com Instagram ► https://www.instagram.com/guardiansport/ The Guardian on YouTube: The Guardian ► https://www.youtube.com/@theGuardian Football Weekly podcast ► https://www.youtube.com/@FootballWeeklyPodcast Guardian News ► https://www.youtube.com/@guardiannews Guardian Australia ► https://www.youtube.com/@GuardianAustralia Guardian Sport ► https://www.youtube.com/@guardiansport
Transcript
Ronaldo's walked out on the Portugal camp after being left on the bench for 90 minutes against Norway, a game that Portugal won. Um the manager uh Jorge Jesus said, "I can promise whatever I want. I'm the coach. I told Ronaldo he would not play. I'm putting you on the bench. If I need you for 30 minutes, you will play. If not, then not. No player can change my mind, not him, not anyone in the football world, no president, never, absolutely nobody." Ronaldo was at that press conference and walked out. He said, uh "In time, I will tell all the Portuguese the truth about the reasons that motivated me to leave the national team, to which I always devoted myself." Um and apparently he spent all the time in the gym on his own. Uh Filipe? >> [laughter] [gasps] >> Um I think it's it's it's it's turning into um not particularly good farce, isn't it? I mean, we we knew that uh it's not exactly bowing out of international football in style. When he actually also didn't even bother to salute the Portuguese fans, I believe, at the final whistle. Um which is also not very elegant, shall we say? Um Well, I I just hope for Portugal that um Jorge Jesus had been in charge of them for the World Cup and had done taken similar decisions for the good of the Portugal national team. Um what else is there to add that we don't know about Cristiano Ronaldo? The word team for for him is only made out of the letter I. So, that's uh which of course is a bit paradoxical, but there you go. Um but there's nothing else to It's it's it's pathetic. >> No. >> It's quite sad. I suppose it's quite sad. Um and it's good for Portugal. >> And it's totally it's totally It's good for Portugal. It's totally expected behavior, isn't it? Do you think it's sort of they'll it'll be a sort of Stockholm syndrome situation? That that's kind of how it feels to me the last 4 years, where they've just all had to be in thrall to this this one guy and mainly a you know, a personality rather than an actual footballer over the last four years because although he had one good Nations League campaign, I think 2025. You know, he didn't score a non-penalty goal at the 2022 World Cup. He didn't score one at the 2024 Euros. He scored two goals against Uzbekistan in the in the World Cup in the summer and that's it. It's not up to a player to decide when they stop and he's basically held them hostage for however many years and it's I feel I've never felt any kind of way about Jorge Jesus. He's now one of my favorite managers in the world because when he was appointed the easy narrative was this is Ronaldo's former coach out in Saudi and so this is an appointment to placate Ronaldo to allow him to keep playing games at the detriment of the team. This isn't like George Weah for example representing Liberia. Portugal have world-class players in every position. So it's so you know, they really are they they don't need him and finally I love that Gonçalo Ramos scored the winner in that game where they didn't need Ronaldo and Ramos scored the winner and he this is good. Obviously caveats apply. He's come off the bench a lot. Um but he has scored 12 goals for Portugal at a goal every 94 minutes which is a hell of a return. And Ronaldo's goals per minute record for Portugal is a goal every 127.4 minutes. So Ramos has scored goals at a much faster rate than Ronaldo has scored his 127 goals. And I'm being flippant but you know, Ramos is is is waiting in the wings and is basically uh could if he plays as many minutes as Cristiano Ronaldo has for Portugal, he'll end up with 197 international goals. Exactly 50 more than Ronaldo. >> [laughter] >> It's time for Gonçalo Ramos. That's what I'd say. >> Yeah, although it will be sad. I mean I I would like Ronaldo to be playing up front for Portugal at the next World Cup and sticking the place out. It's just good for the narrative. It's good to have those constants in life.