One of the greatest international careers in football history has, seemingly, come to an end in a way that few could have imagined. Not with a grand farewell in front of a packed stadium, nor with a final goal in a Portugal shirt, but in the middle of a serious dispute that has shaken the national team in recent days.According to Portuguese outlet O Jogo, Cristiano Ronaldo has decided to end his international career at the age of 42. The newspaper reports that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s decision is final and irreversible, and came after his open disagreement with head coach Jorge Jesus.Ronaldo leaves the team, sends a public messageRonaldo left Portugal’s training camp in Copenhagen on Wednesday evening, just one day before their Nations League clash with Denmark. According to O Jogo, the experienced forward left the team hotel even before his teammates had returned from training. The final straw was apparently Jesus’ decision to leave Ronaldo out of the starting XI once again.The Portugal manager had announced at his press conference that his captain would not start against Denmark either, after previously spending all 90 minutes on the bench during the 2-1 victory over Norway.Jesus, however, insisted that there were no problems between him and the team’s biggest star."There was no incident," the Portuguese coach repeatedly said when answering questions from reporters. However, the events that followed suggested that the situation within the Portugal camp was far from completely calm.##EDITORS_CHOICE##Ronaldo arrived at Copenhagen’s Parken Stadium with his teammates but did not take part in the portion of training open to the media. Portuguese public broadcaster RTP and other local outlets later published footage from fans showing Ronaldo leaving the stadium completely alone.Shortly afterwards, the Portuguese Football Federation confirmed that the captain had left the national team camp. In a brief statement, the federation said that the squad would continue with the remaining 24 players and that the entire delegation was fully focused on the upcoming matches against Denmark and Norway.However, Ronaldo’s departure from the camp could also have disciplinary consequences. According to the Portuguese Football Federation’s Disciplinary Regulations, a player who has been duly called up to the national team but then leaves or fails to attend a training session, match or other national-team activity without valid justification can be punished with a suspension ranging from one to six months.Just 6 days ago, Cristiano Ronaldo produced this speech before Jorge Jesus' first match as Portugal manager. pic.twitter.com/vybRMNYbJF https://t.co/E1gI3AVnTp— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) September 30, 2026 For a professional footballer, an additional financial penalty is also possible, ranging from five to ten calculation units, or approximately €500 to €1,000, since one unit is worth €102. The key question, however, will be how the federation legally treats Ronaldo’s departure and whether it considers it unjustified, particularly given that the player himself stated that he had previously spoken with the FPF president. If O Jogo’s information is confirmed, the curtain would thus fall on an international career that is almost impossible to replicate — and without the grand farewell many would have expected.Ronaldo has made 234 appearances for Portugal and scored an astonishing 146 goals, serving as the face of his country for more than two decades. He won the European Championship in 2016 and the Nations League in 2019 with Portugal, while breaking virtually every major individual record that stood in his way throughout his career.UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE – DIVISION AThursday21.45: (3.40) Denmark (3.50) Portugal (2.10)21.45: (1.25) Germany (6.00) Serbia (12.5)21.45: (3.30) Greece (3.50) Netherlands (2.15)21.45: (6.75) Wales (4.90) Norway (1.42)Friday21.45: (1.53) Belgium (4.30) Turkey (6.00)21.45: (1.45) France (4.50) Italy (7.00)Saturday19.00: (4.10) Croatia (3.50) England (1.90)21.45: (1.07) Spain (13.0) Czech R. (25.0)***odds are subject to change***
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