THE former director of national teams at the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) Carlos Godinho today regretted the way in which Cristiano Ronaldo announced his departure from the ‘quinas’ team, saying that “it could have been another way”.
“I feel sorry, because it could have been another way, but life is what it is and things often happen without us wanting them or thinking they will happen. It was like that, there is no going back, we couldn’t rewind the reel of our life. He understood that it was the best way to go, without creating more problems for anyone, neither for him nor for the federation. It was his opinion, which is what counts”, said the former team manager of the national team, speaking to the Lusa agency.
Striker Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, announced today his withdrawal from the Portuguese football team, through a video posted on his social networks, on the eve of the squad for the last two games of the Nations League qualifying phase being announced.
Carlos Godinho started working at the FPF in 1974 and, 10 years later, in 1984, he began working directly with the other national teams, before joining the main team in 1991, in a 50-year career with the organization, which ended in 2024, and in which he spent almost all of his 23 years with the ‘quinas’ shirt with Ronaldo.
The former FPF leader revealed some surprise at Ronaldo’s announcement on the eve of the call-up being announced, but explained that, knowing the Saudi Al Nassr striker and knowing what happened in September, in a way, he was not surprised by the decision.
“I wasn’t aware of the problems that happened in the national team, but from what I read, saw and heard, and from what I know, I think I was hurt by the way the whole process went”, he said.
On September 30, the striker left the Portuguese national team training camp on the eve of the match against Denmark in the League of Nations, at the beginning of Jorge Jesus’ cycle as coach of the national team.
Carlos Godinho remembered that day and revealed that he immediately noticed that something wasn’t right, when he saw Ronaldo in the middle of the field drinking coffee before the training session that was scheduled.
“He was always the first to arrive at the changing room, get ready for training and start training and that day he appeared on the pitch drinking coffee and holding on to the phone. Without knowing what was going on, he immediately led me to suspect that there was something serious that had happened. And, in his opinion, something happened that shouldn’t have happened, but I don’t know the details and details of everything”, he explained.
Carlos Godinho also revealed that he sent a message to the striker today to thank him and in which he remembered Ronaldo’s family.
“I sent a message this morning saying that words don’t count much, what I have to do is thank you. Thank you in a slightly different way, thank your mother, who was a regular spectator without ever tiptoeing in this process, thank him and the children and the rest of the family, which is the most important thing of all”, he stressed.
The former director highlighted that everyone knows Ronaldo’s career and the “fantastic moments” he provided for the Portuguese national team.
“We know the fantastic moments he gave us, the goals, the joys, some sadness and less happy moments, but this is normal in our lives and in his too. I want to wish him a great future, for him and for his family”, he concluded.
World record holder for national team games, with 234 ‘AA’ caps, and for goals, with 146, Cristiano Ronaldo’s career highlights include winning Euro2016, in France, as well as two editions of the Nations League, in 2019 and 2025, after the bad-memory final of Euro2004, at home.
The last game for the ‘quinas’ team ended up being the triumph against Wales (1-0) played on the 24th of September, in the first round of Group A4 of the League of Nations, more than 23 years after the debut on the 23rd of August 2003, in Chaves, in a friendly against Kazakhstan.
The last goal with the Portuguese shirt was scored in the victory against Croatia (2-1), in the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup, on July 3, in Toronto, by converting a penalty.
