Mourinho takes subtle dig at Ronaldo over Portugal departure

Mourinho criticised Ronaldo's departure from Portugal's national team, suggesting it lacked the ceremonial grandeur of Messi's Argentina farewell.

José Mourinho, speaking as a Portuguese manager who has worked with Cristiano Ronaldo, was asked about the forward's decision to leave the Portugal national team. While respecting the choice, Mourinho took a subtle dig at both Ronaldo and the Portuguese federation over how the departure was handled.

"No quiero valorar la marcha de Cristiano Ronaldo de la selección portuguesa. Se debe respetar y yo la respeto. No es una retirada. No terminó su carrera. Quien lo conoce sabe que tiene todavía objetivos para su carrera," Mourinho said, clarifying that Ronaldo has not retired from football entirely.

However, Mourinho's criticism came when he added: "La única cosa que me gustaría es que su retirada como jugador de fútbol sea un día diferente que el día de ayer." The Real Madrid manager was pointing out that Ronaldo announced his departure via a video message rather than a grand public ceremony, contrasting it with Lionel Messi's recent farewell with Argentina.