The Portuguese Football Federation is considering various options to pay a fitting tribute to legend Cristiano Ronaldo, who officially announced his retirement from the national team. The news came a day after head coach Jorge Jesus announced his first squad list for the post-Ronaldo era.
The 41-year-old forward is ending his remarkable career with the national team after an impressive 234 appearances and 146 goals.
Federation president Pedro Proença stressed that Ronaldo deserves the highest recognition for everything he has done for sport in the country, although it is still unclear whether the legendary captain would agree to an official farewell match being organized:
“No gesture of appreciation would be enough to thank him for everything he has done for Portuguese football and Portugal. We will do everything possible to honor the legacy he leaves us. Everything he has achieved deserves to be honored and commemorated,” Proença said.
For the upcoming Nations League matches against Wales and Denmark in November, head coach Jorge Jesus called up seven new players, including five young footballers from the under-21 team. However, the subject of Ronaldo remained the main focus of the press conference.
Relations between the two became strained at the end of September, when Ronaldo left the team camp before the match against Denmark. Jesus insisted, however, that there were no hard feelings and said he had learned of the legend’s definitive retirement from the media:
“I learned about his decision when everyone else did—from the media. Until then, I knew nothing. He was playing, scoring goals and was part of my plans. All my decisions were made with the team in mind. As a coach, I have always defended what is best for the team. I am completely at peace with my decision,” Jesus said.
Despite the tension surrounding the split, the federation’s leadership and the coaching staff unanimously agreed that Cristiano Ronaldo’s immense contribution and leadership have inspired generations of Portuguese footballers and will remain forever in the history of world football.