One night produced the farewell a football legend could hardly have scripted. Six thousand miles away, the same evening produced a nearly 2,000-word Instagram statement from another great of the game, listing the ways he felt wronged by his national team coach.
In Buenos Aires, Lionel Messi brought his Argentina career to a close with a goal against Benin in front of an 85,000-strong sellout crowd at the Monumental. The 39-year-old marked his final appearance for La Albiceleste by scoring before addressing the supporters in a speech lasting close to 10 minutes. Some of his team-mates were in tears as he admitted he did not want to leave the field. “There are so many emotions going through me right now,” Messi said. “I’m surely forgetting many things I would like to say because this is a very difficult moment for me. The first person who comes to my mind is my dad. I leave grateful, proud and at peace. Thank you for everything.”
Messi had announced his retirement from international football in August, after Argentina finished as runners-up at the World Cup and following the death of his father Jorge. He departs as his country’s record appearance-maker and record goalscorer, with one World Cup and two Copa America titles to his name. His club career continues with Major League Soccer side Inter Miami.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner also appears to be preparing for life beyond playing. He already owns two clubs – Spanish fifth-tier side UE Cornella and second-tier CD Eldense – and is a partner in the restaurant chain El Club de la Milanesa, which plans to open five branches in Catalonia. He holds a lifetime deal with Adidas and a collection with drinkware brand Stanley, alongside investments in the property and hotel industries.
Football expert Guillem Balague said: “Coach Lionel Scaloni insists that if Messi ever wants to carry on, he can, and there is no embarrassment in changing one’s mind. But that chapter seems closed. Ask the people around him what comes after that and they smile, because Messi has never really planned beyond his next game. Even so, the shape of what lies ahead is already in front of us. He will stay inside football, because he would struggle to live without it, but his other business interests stretch far outside the game.”
Ronaldo’s evening took a different course. The 41-year-old Al-Nassr forward released a statement in which he said Portugal manager Jorge Jesus had twice “broke his word” and accused him of an “absolute breach of trust” – firstly for not playing him against Norway after saying he would, and then for going back on a decision to present an agreed version of events to the media. Ronaldo also apologised to fans and team-mates for leaving the national camp, said the consequences of that must be “assessed and punished”, and dismissed any suggestion that he had played his last match for Portugal. “We will have one or more farewell matches, there will be time for that,” the statement said.
The saga had been building for some time, with many fans critical of former Portugal boss Roberto Martinez’s insistence on starting Ronaldo at this summer’s World Cup. At 41, the argument ran, he was no longer the dynamic player he once was, and his presence hindered the team rather than helped it. Matters came to a head when Ronaldo was an unused substitute in the Nations League win over Norway, after which he left camp upon learning he would not start against Denmark. Jesus said on the same Sunday that the door remains open for Ronaldo to return if he chooses to, and he has reportedly said he had not seen Ronaldo’s statement as he was watching the Portugal under-21 game.
Portuguese football journalist Jose Delgado told BBC Radio 5 Live he does not believe there is a way back. “In the statement, Ronaldo says he will return to the national team but at the same time he calls Jesus a liar three times,” Delgado said. “In the polls in Portugal made about this issue, only 15% of the Portuguese were on Ronaldo’s side and people think we owe him a lot but his time is already done and he must understand it. The problem is that Ronaldo does not understand it, he wants to keep playing as if he was 24, not 41. Things will never be the same again. No matter what happens, no matter if he plays again or if you have a game to say goodbye to Ronaldo things will never be the same. What Ronaldo did for Portuguese football is unique and incredible and we must thank him for all the service he gave to Portugal. But at 41, he has no place in the best XI of Portugal.”
Supporters appear split. Posters have been put up on several billboards in Lisbon praising Ronaldo and criticising Jesus, reading: “Thank you Cristiano Ronaldo for everything you did for Portugal. You will always be our captain. Jorge Jesus was not up to the task. Lack of sensitivity. Treating a captain wrongly. Inflated ego.” At the Denmark game, some fans wore T-shirts spelling out “Love you Jesus” while others were head-to-toe in Ronaldo merchandise.
Ronaldo’s record for Portugal stands at 146 goals in 234 appearances, both world records, and he helped his country win Euro 2016 and the Nations League twice. It seems unlikely he would voluntarily retire from international football before reaching the 1,000-goal mark he is chasing for club and country, with his current tally at 979. Jesus has said the door is open – but whether the damage done is already beyond repair is the question Portugal now faces.