Quotes
Cristiano Ronaldo couldn't accept Portugal reality and it's cost him Lionel Messi farewell
Summarised by MatchPal
Ronaldo and Messi both retiring from international football, but ending their careers in contrasting circumstances.
Summary by MatchPal from the original report at mirror.co.uk. Reporting and images belong to the source.
In this story
Clubs
People
C. Ronaldo
L. Messi
Reports on this story
UK timesStrong63 reports from 25 outlets. First reported by Marca, 10:23. The 9 newest are listed here.
- BBC Sport
- ESPN
- The Guardian
- Sky Sports
- Sky Sport Italia
- Fabrizio Romano
- Voetbal International
- RMC Sport
- The Independent
- NOS
- The i Paper
- Kicker
- CBS Sports
- Diario AS
- The Athletic
- Florian Plettenberg
- Marca
- Mundo Deportivo
- Manchester Evening News
- Evening Standard
- WalesOnline
- Ben Jacobs
- talkSPORT
- Mirror
- MailOnline
- Jesus regrets Ronaldo's Portugal departure: 'I asked him to stay'Voetbal International
- Cristiano Ronaldo couldn't accept Portugal reality and it's cost him Lionel Messi farewellMirrorThis article
- "He will always be a reference": Portuguese manager breaks silence after Ronaldo's shock retirement announcementRMC Sport
- Jorge Jesus reacts to Cristiano's retirement: "I asked him to continue"Mundo Deportivo
- International press reflects on Ronaldo's international career: praise and criticismVoetbal International
4 more reports
- A bitter end for Ronaldo - the icon who transformed PortugalBBC Sport
- 'He could manage Manchester United' - What next for Cristiano Ronaldo after Portugal retirementManchester Evening News
- From the bench to goodbye: the timeline of Cristiano and Jesus's conflictMundo Deportivo
- Ronaldo's Portugal career ended in shame, but at his peak he was a dominant forceESPN
Next on TV
UK times
Pro League · Matchweek 13
Al Hazm v 
Al NassrFri, 6 Nov 2026No UK TV listing yetKick-off 14:55 UK time, Fri, 6 Nov 2026Remind me
