Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly in line for one last game in a Portugal shirt, and the coach for it will not be Jorge Jesus. According to ESPN, Luiz Felipe Scolari, the man who handed Ronaldo his international debut in 2003, is in the frame to take charge of the farewell after the fallout between Ronaldo and the current Portugal boss.
The 41-year-old announced his retirement from international football on Thursday, November 5, after 23 years and a Portugal career that produced 146 goals in 234 appearances.
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Cristiano Ronaldo chose a video on Instagram over a press conference to confirm the decision, one day before Jesus was due to name his squad for the Nations League games against Denmark and Wales.
The fallout between the Portugal superstar and Jesus happened in the October window. Cristiano Ronaldo was an unused substitute for the first time in 18 years in the 2-1 win away to Norway on October 4 and left the training camp without permission.
The Portuguese Football Federation suspended him for 30 days and fined him €255, a punishment he had already served by the time he retired. His final appearance came on September 24, in a 1-0 win over Wales in Lisbon.
ESPN reported that no decision had been taken on a farewell match, because Ronaldo did not want his goodbye to happen under Jesus. Fernando Santos, who won Euro 2016 with Ronaldo, is not under consideration to take charge of the farewell game.
Scolari’s case, however, is straightforward. The 77-year-old coach gave Cristiano Ronaldo his debut as an 18-year-old against Kazakhstan in August 2003, picked him 58 times, and was the coach who told him his father had died in 2005.
The Portuguese Football Federation thanked Ronaldo and said he should receive the “tribute he deserves”, but it remains to be seen if the farewell game happens.
What did Jorge Jesus say about Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement?
Jesus said he had asked Ronaldo to stay on but now accepts the decision. He made his position clear when he spoke to Portugal’s Channel 11:
“We already had the chance to talk about this before the first squad announcement. I asked him to stay on with me. He will always be in the hearts of the Portuguese people, and in the national team.
“He will always be a point of reference for our national team, for our people, and for our history.”
Portugal lead Group D with 12 points from four wins under Jesus in the UEFA Nations League.
Edited by Nived Zenith
