The key facts

  • Ronaldo announced his departure from the Portugal national team on November 5
  • Before that, he missed three training sessions and left the team without permission after a conflict with Jorge Jesus
  • Khabib Nurmagomedov and Jose Mourinho publicly commented on the situation

Leaving the national team against the backdrop of a conflict with the coach

Cristiano Ronaldo announced on November 5 that he was ending his career with the Portugal national team. This was reported by Gazeta.Ru. The departure came during the international break and against the backdrop of a conflict with the national team's head coach Jorge Jesus.

What preceded the decision

According to the outlet, the 41-year-old Ronaldo was not included in the squad for the Nations League match against Norway — that was the coach's decision. After a press conference at which Jesus did not guarantee the player a place in the lineup for the game against Denmark, Ronaldo headed to the airport and flew out on his private jet. As a result, he missed the national team's last three training sessions, leaving the team's camp without permission after a falling-out with the coach.

Reaction

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov reacted to the news on social media, noting that Ronaldo had never left a single club with a proper farewell. «When you give everything, you become unnecessary. There are the great, and there are the greatest of the great. What he gave to football cannot be described in a single word, just as it is impossible to describe how the teams to which he gave his all treated him,» Nurmagomedov wrote. Earlier, Jose Mourinho called for respecting Ronaldo's decision to end his career with the national team.