THE Former Portuguese football coach, Fernando Santos, considered today that Cristiano Ronaldo will “leave a mark that will never be erased” as “the best of all time”, after the player officially said goodbye to the ‘quinas’ team.
“Thank you for everything you gave to the team, to our country and to all of us. You carry with you a history that no one can repeat and you leave a mark that will never be erased as the best of all time. A big hug, Cristiano. With admiration, respect and friendship, today and always”, said the coach, in a statement sent to Lusa.
Portuguese coach between 2014 and 2022, Fernando Santos guided Cristiano Ronaldo in 82 of the 234 games in which the ‘star’ wore the Portugal shirt – the last of which was against Morocco, in the quarter-final elimination of the 2022 World Cup – and recalled the “extraordinary moments” lived with the 41-year-old Madeiran, despite the “less happy moments” in between.
“We had extraordinary moments together, we experienced joys that will remain forever in our memories and we also went through less happy moments, as happens in so many human relationships. But there is one thing that has never changed, and will never change: respect, consideration and friendship”, he added.
At the 2022 World Cup, in Qatar, with Portugal already qualified for the round of 16, Fernando Santos replaced Ronaldo during the defeat against South Korea, in the third round of the group stage, and the forward was caught on television contesting the selector’s decision at the moment he realized he was going to be replaced.
“You’re in a hurry to get me out…”, it was clear during the transmission of the meeting.
Ronaldo initially denied this attitude, stating that he was approaching a player from South Korea, but Fernando Santos took action and sat the captain on the bench until elimination with Morocco in the quarter-finals.
Responsible for the teams that won the 2016 European Championship, in France, and the first edition of the Nations League, in Portugal, in 2019, the 72-year-old coach, who guided FC Porto, with a national title (1998/99), Sporting and Benfica, also highlighted the “human side” of the Al Nassr striker, who previously represented Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus.
“I cherish everything we shared with great affection. The extraordinary player that you all know. The professional, the ambition, the ability to overcome and the desire to win are marks that will forever remain in the history of Portuguese football, but I also keep the human side, the conversations, the moments, the smiles and so many memories that do not belong to football, but to life”, he recalled.
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.
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 becoming European runner-up at Euro2004, held in Portugal.
On September 30, the striker left the Portuguese national team training camp on the eve of the Nations League match against Denmark in Copenhagen, at the beginning of Jorge Jesus’ cycle as coach of the national team.
Ronaldo, who was a starter with Wales and an unused substitute with Norway, revealed that Jesus failed to speak to him more than once and that is why he decided to leave the training camp on his own initiative, a decision that cost him a 30-day ban, already served, and a fine of 255 euros.
The last game for the ‘quinas’ team ended up being the triumph against Wales (1-0) played on September 24th, in the first round of Group A4 of the League of Nations, at the José Alvalade Stadium, in Lisbon, more than 23 years after the debut on August 23rd, 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, Canada, by converting a penalty.
