Cristiano Ronaldo has announced his retirement from the Portugal national team, a development that is far from a surprise.
For one thing, Ronaldo will turn 42 in February. The legendary forward made his Portugal debut all the way back in 2003, before some of his current teammates were even born.
Though time is undefeated, there is another likely reason that Ronaldo is calling it quits now. Over the past few weeks, he's been embroiled in a feud with Portugal national team coach Jorge Jesus.
Why did Cristiano Ronaldo retire from Portugal?
In his announcement on Thursday, Nov. 5, Ronaldo did not mention his rift with Jesus, who managed him previously at Al-Nassr.
Ronaldo has previously said that he was considering international retirement after the 2026 World Cup, where Portugal lost to Spain in the round
of 16.
But according to Ronaldo, Jesus and Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) president Pedro Proença convinced him to continue his international career.
Ronaldo did play in Portugal's first match after the World Cup, a 1-0 win over Wales on Sept. 24. But that would turn out to be the last game of his international career — save for any potential tribute match.
What happened between Cristiano Ronaldo and Jorge Jesus?
The relationship between Ronaldo and Jesus began to unravel around Portugal's next game, a 2-1 win over Norway in Oslo on Sept. 27.
Ronaldo said on the day of the match in Norway, an assistant coach told him to prepare to play 30 minutes. That came as a surprise to Ronaldo, who said he and the coaching staff had only planned on him playing in the two home matches during the four-game window.
But Ronaldo agreed to play in the game at Norway. However, after warming up during the match in Oslo, Ronaldo was not put into the match. Angered, he rushed down the tunnel at the full-time whistle instead of acknowledging the traveling Portugal fans.
After the Norway match, Ronaldo met with Jesus and Al Nassr sporting director Simão Coutinho. At that meeting, Ronaldo said that he approved a list of talking points for Jesus to say at his next press conference.
Jesus was allegedly supposed to clarify that Ronaldo had never demanded to play against Norway and that he was an "exemplary, loyal, and professional" player.
But Jesus did not mention any of those talking points. Angered again, Ronaldo walked away from the Portugal national team on Sept. 30, departing one day before a UEFA Nations League match at Denmark.
What was Cristiano Ronaldo's punishment?
Ronaldo apologized for his actions, saying he should have acknowledged the traveling Portugal fans in Norway and also should not have walked out on his teammates.
But he insisted he left because Jesus broke his word twice – first by not playing him in Oslo and then by refusing to stick to the supposedly pre-approved script at the press conference.
Ronaldo said he was prepared to accept any punishment that came his way. Eventually, the FPF hit him with a relatively light sentence: a €255 ($286) fine and a 30-day suspension that would not have seen him miss any games.
What did Jorge Jesus say about Cristiano Ronaldo's retirement?
After Ronaldo's retirement, Jesus said on Thursday, Nov. 5 that he was previously hoping to bring the forward back to the national team setup.
"We already had the chance to talk about this before the first squad announcement. I asked him to stay on with me," the coach told Portugal's Channel 11. "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."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why did Cristiano Ronaldo retire from Portugal? Explaining Jorge Jesus feud
