{"id":2179750,"date":"2026-10-05T10:22:57","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T07:22:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2179750"},"modified":"2026-10-05T10:22:57","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T07:22:57","slug":"cristiano-ronaldo-a-nation-divided-as-forward-left-with-big-decision-on-portugal-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2179750","title":{"rendered":"Cristiano Ronaldo: A nation divided as forward left with big decision on Portugal future"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/branded_sport\/1200\/cpsprodpb\/17de\/live\/d511d8d0-c0bb-11f1-9475-67b7bb314be1.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"ssrcss-2fe4mx-ArticleWrapper e1nh2i2l0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-15twdc6-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<div data-block=\"headline\" class=\"ssrcss-l7emlr-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-usmnse-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<header data-testid=\"headline\">\n<h1 id=\"main-heading\" tabindex=\"-1\" class=\"ssrcss-8zqj65-Heading e10rt3ze0\"><span role=\"text\">A nation divided as Ronaldo left with big decision on Portugal future<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"image\" class=\"ssrcss-l7emlr-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"ssrcss-1uy5kw5-FullWidthWrapper ep2nwvo1\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-hc6arm-StyledFigure e34k3c22\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-ps5kvs-Placeholder etlorgc0\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/6e29\/live\/f6a58a20-bff6-11f1-8c3e-3b2eab095459.jpg.webp 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/320\/cpsprodpb\/6e29\/live\/f6a58a20-bff6-11f1-8c3e-3b2eab095459.jpg.webp 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/480\/cpsprodpb\/6e29\/live\/f6a58a20-bff6-11f1-8c3e-3b2eab095459.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/624\/cpsprodpb\/6e29\/live\/f6a58a20-bff6-11f1-8c3e-3b2eab095459.jpg.webp 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/800\/cpsprodpb\/6e29\/live\/f6a58a20-bff6-11f1-8c3e-3b2eab095459.jpg.webp 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/976\/cpsprodpb\/6e29\/live\/f6a58a20-bff6-11f1-8c3e-3b2eab095459.jpg.webp 976w\" type=\"image\/webp\" \/><\/span><span role=\"text\" class=\"ssrcss-tzgxt7-StyledFigureCopyright e34k3c20\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Image source, <\/span>EPA<\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"ssrcss-3uli8u-StyledFigureCaption ehbdhz00\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Image caption, <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-15twdc6-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">This sign praising Cristiano Ronaldo and criticising Jorge Jesus was placed outside Benfica&#8217;s stadium<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"byline\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"single-byline\" class=\"ssrcss-sevsa1-ContributorContainer ee66fvo3\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-dt4z-ContributorInfo ee66fvo0\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">By<\/span><span class=\"ssrcss-nsjd43-TextContributorName epw3ir01\">Emlyn Begley<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-dqo7s5-ContributorDetails ee66fvo2\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1m5444d-Text ee66fvo4\">BBC Sport journalist<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"metadata\" class=\"ssrcss-l7emlr-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"metadata\">\n<div>\n<ul role=\"list\" class=\"ssrcss-9tw7r1-MetadataStripContainer eh44mf03\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-10q9h22-GroupChildrenForWrapping eh44mf02\">\n<li role=\"listitem\" class=\"ssrcss-sf7vdp-MetadataStripItem eh44mf01\">\n<div class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Published<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-m5j4pi-MetadataContent eh44mf00\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1pvwv4b-MetadataSnippet e4wm5bw3\"><span class=\"ssrcss-61mhsj-MetadataText e4wm5bw1\"><time data-testid=\"timestamp\" datetime=\"2026-10-05T10:22:57.693Z\">3 hours ago<\/time><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/div>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"text\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><b>As Lionel Messi prepares to get a hero&#8217;s farewell for his successful international career, Cristiano Ronaldo&#8217;s could have ended with him running down the tunnel at the final whistle of a game he did not play.<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">After the World Cup, Argentina&#8217;s Messi, 39, decided to retire from international football, while Ronaldo, 41, opted to play on for Portugal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Yet there is the possibility that Messi&#8217;s Argentina career will end up lasting a few days longer &#8211; with a home friendly with Benin on Tuesday marked as his final game.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Ronaldo, furious at being made to warm up and not be brought on against Norway in the Nations League, walked out on the Portugal squad after finding out he would not start against Denmark either.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The Al-Nassr forward has scored 146 goals and won 234 caps for Portugal &#8211; both world records.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">After such a high-profile falling-out with new boss Jorge Jesus, also a larger than life character who does not back down, Ronaldo is facing a big decision.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Jesus has insisted he would be welcome back if he wants to return and talks between Ronaldo, his representatives and the Portuguese FA are ongoing as they look for a solution.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">While Ronaldo could not carry on playing forever, this is not how he would have expected his international career to end. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">His fans are remaining loyal to him, with social media full of posts supporting Ronaldo and criticising Jesus, while on the other side some fans and a lot of Portugal&#8217;s media have been critical of what they see as selfish behaviour.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Ahead of Portugal&#8217;s next match against Denmark in November lies a big decision for one of the world&#8217;s greatest ever players.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"links\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1gccci3-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<ul role=\"list\" class=\"ssrcss-94r6ik-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<li class=\"ssrcss-qzx51b-LinkItem e3eyuya1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1gccci3-Stack e1y4nx260\"><span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0s6gx-LinkHeadline e3eyuya4\"><span aria-hidden=\"false\">Is this the end for Ronaldo &#8211; and would Portugal miss him?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"subheadline\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-usmnse-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"subheadline\">\n<h2 id=\"What-exactly-happened\" tabindex=\"-1\" class=\"ssrcss-1sc9t00-Heading e10rt3ze0\"><span role=\"text\">What exactly happened?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"image\" class=\"ssrcss-l7emlr-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"ssrcss-1uy5kw5-FullWidthWrapper ep2nwvo1\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-hc6arm-StyledFigure e34k3c22\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1pflr6j-Placeholder etlorgc0\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/c6e0\/live\/768ebf90-bff7-11f1-8c3e-3b2eab095459.jpg.webp 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/320\/cpsprodpb\/c6e0\/live\/768ebf90-bff7-11f1-8c3e-3b2eab095459.jpg.webp 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/480\/cpsprodpb\/c6e0\/live\/768ebf90-bff7-11f1-8c3e-3b2eab095459.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/624\/cpsprodpb\/c6e0\/live\/768ebf90-bff7-11f1-8c3e-3b2eab095459.jpg.webp 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/800\/cpsprodpb\/c6e0\/live\/768ebf90-bff7-11f1-8c3e-3b2eab095459.jpg.webp 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/976\/cpsprodpb\/c6e0\/live\/768ebf90-bff7-11f1-8c3e-3b2eab095459.jpg.webp 976w\" type=\"image\/webp\" \/><\/span><span role=\"text\" class=\"ssrcss-tzgxt7-StyledFigureCopyright e34k3c20\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Image source, <\/span>Getty Images<\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"ssrcss-3uli8u-StyledFigureCaption ehbdhz00\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Image caption, <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-15twdc6-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Jorge Jesus managed Cristiano Ronaldo at Saudi club Al-Nassr<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"text\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">It has all happened very quickly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">After the World Cup, Portugal replaced Roberto Martinez with Jesus, who had been Ronaldo&#8217;s boss with Al-Nassr last season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Less than two weeks ago, Ronaldo said: &#8220;I had a conversation with our president, with our coach. I still believe that I&#8217;m able to help the national team to reach what they want.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Things were still looking OK when he started in the 1-0 win over Wales.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Jesus told Ronaldo he would be on the bench for the next game against Norway. After being told to warm up for a period of the game, he remained an unused substitute in a Portugal game for the first time in 18 years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Guillem Balague, who wrote a book about Ronaldo in 2015, said: &#8220;He gets asked to warm up for the whole of the second half, practically.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;There are tacit rules in football: you don&#8217;t do that to Pele, to Diego Maradona, to Lionel Messi, to Cristiano, right? That&#8217;s what he&#8217;s seen, that you don&#8217;t do that to those kind of players.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">And as the final whistle went he went down the tunnel instead of going to the fans with his team-mates.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Jesus said there was no falling out &#8211; but confirmed Ronaldo would not start the next game with Denmark either.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">At that point Ronaldo left the training camp &#8211; and wrote on social media: &#8220;In due course, I will tell the truth to all the Portuguese people about my reasons for leaving the national team, to which I have always been dedicated.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Portugal&#8217;s FA president Pedro Proenca flew to Copenhagen, landing at 02:30 in the morning, to try to smooth things over with Ronaldo but failed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">He has since said: &#8220;He is in the national team on sporting merit, and that must be unquestionable. We have to pay tribute to Ronaldo.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">After beating Norway on Sunday in their final Nations League match &#8211; again without Ronaldo &#8211; Jesus said: &#8220;If he wants to, he&#8217;ll return to the national team. We can talk before the next call-up, but Cris is the one who&#8217;s going to decide.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;He&#8217;s the one who should decide how he wants to end his time with the national team.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"subheadline\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-usmnse-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"subheadline\">\n<h2 id=\"What-do-the-fans-think\" tabindex=\"-1\" class=\"ssrcss-1sc9t00-Heading e10rt3ze0\"><span role=\"text\">What do the fans think?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"image\" class=\"ssrcss-l7emlr-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"ssrcss-1uy5kw5-FullWidthWrapper ep2nwvo1\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-hc6arm-StyledFigure e34k3c22\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1pflr6j-Placeholder etlorgc0\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/449e\/live\/a3764320-bff7-11f1-8c3e-3b2eab095459.jpg.webp 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/320\/cpsprodpb\/449e\/live\/a3764320-bff7-11f1-8c3e-3b2eab095459.jpg.webp 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/480\/cpsprodpb\/449e\/live\/a3764320-bff7-11f1-8c3e-3b2eab095459.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/624\/cpsprodpb\/449e\/live\/a3764320-bff7-11f1-8c3e-3b2eab095459.jpg.webp 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/800\/cpsprodpb\/449e\/live\/a3764320-bff7-11f1-8c3e-3b2eab095459.jpg.webp 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/976\/cpsprodpb\/449e\/live\/a3764320-bff7-11f1-8c3e-3b2eab095459.jpg.webp 976w\" type=\"image\/webp\" \/><\/span><span role=\"text\" class=\"ssrcss-tzgxt7-StyledFigureCopyright e34k3c20\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Image source, <\/span>Getty Images<\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"ssrcss-3uli8u-StyledFigureCaption ehbdhz00\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Image caption, <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-15twdc6-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Some fans continue to support Cristiano Ronaldo<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"text\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">On several billboards in Lisbon posters went up praising Ronaldo and criticising Jesus.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">They read, in Portuguese: &#8220;Thank you Cristiano Ronaldo for everything you did for Portugal. You will always be our captain. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;Jorge Jesus was not up to the task. Lack of sensitivity. Treating a captain wrongly. Inflated ego.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">One was placed next to the Estadio da Luz, home of Benfica &#8211; who Jesus managed to three league titles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">At the Denmark game, some fans wore T-shirts spelling out &#8216;Love you Jesus&#8217; while others were head-to-toe in Ronaldo merch.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Denmark striker Rasmus Hojlund, incidentally, celebrated his goal with his idol Ronaldo&#8217;s trademark &#8216;siuuu&#8217; &#8211; something he has done previously when netting against Portugal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Portugal&#8217;s newspapers had differing perspectives.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Record &#8211; who the forward owns shares in &#8211; said &#8220;Ronaldo leaves after clash with Jesus&#8221; and Jornal de Noticias said it was &#8220;the end of a historic era&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;A sad goodbye,&#8221; said Bola, while Jogo went for &#8220;CR7 turns his back on the national team&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Meanwhile, videos were posted online of angry fans ripping up their Portugal jerseys.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Jesus and Proenca were booed leaving a building in Copenhagen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">But many foreign fans purely supported Portugal because of Ronaldo &#8211; so they do not necessarily represent the views of actual Portuguese supporters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Portugal fan Maria Ribeiro, from Lisbon, said: &#8220;It is so hard for all us fans. We all love him but it is getting too much now. It is hard to imagine Portugal without Ronaldo but maybe this is the time. There is too much arguing between ourselves.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"links\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1gccci3-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<ul role=\"list\" class=\"ssrcss-94r6ik-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<li class=\"ssrcss-qzx51b-LinkItem e3eyuya1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1gccci3-Stack e1y4nx260\"><span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0s6gx-LinkHeadline e3eyuya4\"><span aria-hidden=\"false\">Ronaldo&#8217;s World Cup career ends in tears as &#8216;pandering&#8217; Martinez departs<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<ul role=\"list\" class=\"ssrcss-9tw7r1-MetadataStripContainer eh44mf03\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-10q9h22-GroupChildrenForWrapping eh44mf02\">\n<li role=\"listitem\" class=\"ssrcss-sf7vdp-MetadataStripItem eh44mf01\">\n<div class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Published<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-m5j4pi-MetadataContent eh44mf00\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1pvwv4b-MetadataSnippet e4wm5bw3\"><span class=\"ssrcss-61mhsj-MetadataText e4wm5bw1\">7 July<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/div>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"subheadline\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-usmnse-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"subheadline\">\n<h2 id=\"Would-Portugal-miss-Ronaldo\" tabindex=\"-1\" class=\"ssrcss-1sc9t00-Heading e10rt3ze0\"><span role=\"text\">Would Portugal miss Ronaldo?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"text\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Ronaldo&#8217;s search for a record 1,000 career goals remains on but will he have to finish that at club level in Saudi Arabia?<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">He has scored 979 times for Portugal, Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Al-Nassr.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">While his old rival Messi scored eight goals, and assisted four more, to take Argentina to the summer World Cup final &#8211; Portugal fell at the last-16 stage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Ronaldo scored three goals in the tournament but failed to have an impact in their loss to Spain, leading BBC pundit Chris Sutton to say he was &#8220;waddling around the pitch like a grandad&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Ronaldo&#8217;s former United team-mate Wayne Rooney added: &#8220;He is a genius, a superstar. What he has given to football and millions of people is something very rare.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;He will be disappointed because he believed he could win this tournament. But time gets us all. It&#8217;s a sad day for football.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">In the last nine years of Ronaldo&#8217;s international career, Portugal&#8217;s win percentage without him is slightly better &#8211; 66% to 63% &#8211; and they have scored 2.7 goals a game without him compared to 2.1 with him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The two biggest wins in their history &#8211; 9-0 over Luxembourg and 9-1 against Armenia &#8211; came in the last two qualifying matches that he missed, both through suspension.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Journalist Marcus Alves, who covers Portugal, said: &#8220;How much gratitude is enough? That&#8217;s a question that Portuguese fans have been asking for a few years now. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;The whole soap opera that seems to follow the mere presence of the 41-year-old striker got to a point where patience was running out. <\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;Of Portugal&#8217;s last five coaches, Ronaldo had issues with four of them \u2013 Carlos Queiroz, Paulo Bento, Fernando Santos and now Jesus. That&#8217;s too much distraction when Portugal have arguably their best generation ever.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"topicList\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-tcr9z1-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"topic-list\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nj9heb-StyledTagContainer ed0g1kj1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1pfbb52-TopicListHeaderWrapper etw6iwl0\">\n<h2 class=\"ssrcss-89o2pv-Heading e10rt3ze0\">Related topics<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-17ehax8-Cluster e1ihwmse1\">\n<ul role=\"list\" class=\"ssrcss-w8zanw-ClusterItems e1ihwmse0\">\n<li>Football<\/li>\n<li>Portugal<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"promoList\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-tcr9z1-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<h2 class=\"ssrcss-89o2pv-Heading e10rt3ze0\">More on this story<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"ssrcss-1ughxsy-List e880cno1\">\n<li>\n<div data-testid=\"promo\" class=\"ssrcss-ccqz3i-Promo e1vyq2e80\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1u1fh10-PromoSwitchLayoutAtBreakpoints et5qctl0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-wg79iw-PromoContent exn3ah912\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-l0lt4o-Stack e1y4nx260\"><span role=\"text\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-6bmydz-PromoHeadline exn3ah99\"><span aria-hidden=\"false\">Ronaldo &#8216;greatest symbol&#8217; of Portugal &#8211;  Fernandes<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-l0lt4o-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<div>\n<ul role=\"list\" class=\"ssrcss-9tw7r1-MetadataStripContainer eh44mf03\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-10q9h22-GroupChildrenForWrapping eh44mf02\">\n<li role=\"listitem\" class=\"ssrcss-sf7vdp-MetadataStripItem eh44mf01\">\n<div class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Published<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-m5j4pi-MetadataContent eh44mf00\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1pvwv4b-MetadataSnippet e4wm5bw3\"><span class=\"ssrcss-61mhsj-MetadataText e4wm5bw1\">1 day ago<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/div>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-z60stg-PromoImageContainer en81kx34\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-17h6w1t-PromoImageContainerInner en81kx32\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-fec6qv-ImageWrapper en81kx33\"><span class=\"ssrcss-18cq9h-Placeholder etlorgc0\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/8140\/live\/6ff772e0-bf51-11f1-a84d-81c67bc2828e.jpg.webp 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/320\/cpsprodpb\/8140\/live\/6ff772e0-bf51-11f1-a84d-81c67bc2828e.jpg.webp 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/480\/cpsprodpb\/8140\/live\/6ff772e0-bf51-11f1-a84d-81c67bc2828e.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/624\/cpsprodpb\/8140\/live\/6ff772e0-bf51-11f1-a84d-81c67bc2828e.jpg.webp 624w\" type=\"image\/webp\" \/><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div data-testid=\"promo\" class=\"ssrcss-ccqz3i-Promo e1vyq2e80\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1u1fh10-PromoSwitchLayoutAtBreakpoints et5qctl0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-wg79iw-PromoContent exn3ah912\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-l0lt4o-Stack e1y4nx260\"><span role=\"text\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-6bmydz-PromoHeadline exn3ah99\"><span aria-hidden=\"false\">Portugal boss says door open for Ronaldo return<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-l0lt4o-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<div>\n<ul role=\"list\" class=\"ssrcss-9tw7r1-MetadataStripContainer eh44mf03\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-10q9h22-GroupChildrenForWrapping eh44mf02\">\n<li role=\"listitem\" class=\"ssrcss-sf7vdp-MetadataStripItem eh44mf01\">\n<div class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Published<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-m5j4pi-MetadataContent eh44mf00\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1pvwv4b-MetadataSnippet e4wm5bw3\"><span class=\"ssrcss-61mhsj-MetadataText e4wm5bw1\">15 hours ago<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/div>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-z60stg-PromoImageContainer en81kx34\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-17h6w1t-PromoImageContainerInner en81kx32\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-fec6qv-ImageWrapper en81kx33\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1d4t8ty-Placeholder etlorgc0\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/185e\/live\/89dca710-c097-11f1-babe-4199b0e7ccea.jpg.webp 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/320\/cpsprodpb\/185e\/live\/89dca710-c097-11f1-babe-4199b0e7ccea.jpg.webp 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/480\/cpsprodpb\/185e\/live\/89dca710-c097-11f1-babe-4199b0e7ccea.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/624\/cpsprodpb\/185e\/live\/89dca710-c097-11f1-babe-4199b0e7ccea.jpg.webp 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/800\/cpsprodpb\/185e\/live\/89dca710-c097-11f1-babe-4199b0e7ccea.jpg.webp 800w\" type=\"image\/webp\" \/><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/sport\/football\/articles\/crwyd31nw2w4o&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/branded_sport\/1200\/cpsprodpb\/17de\/live\/d511d8d0-c0bb-11f1-9475-67b7bb314be1.jpg&#8221;] A nation divided as Ronaldo left with big decision on Portugal future Image source, EPAImage caption, This sign praising Cristiano Ronaldo and criticising Jorge Jesus was placed outside Benfica&#8217;s stadium ByEmlyn Begley BBC Sport journalist Published 3 hours ago As Lionel Messi prepares to get a hero&#8217;s farewell for his successful international [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[35,226],"class_list":["post-2179750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-bbc-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2179750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2179750"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2179750\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2179750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2179750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2179750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}