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The World Cup marked the end of Lionel Messi's legendary international career, as the Argentine icon released a heartfelt letter six weeks after his country's defeat to Spain in the final, confirming his departure from the national team.
Messi's retirement from international football had long felt inevitable. At 39 years of age, the prospect of him captaining Argentina at the 2030 tournament was virtually nonexistent, and so he stepped away from his Albiceleste duties to pave the way for a new generation—following one last appearance in the upcoming international break.
Cristiano Ronaldo, two years older than Messi, chose not to follow his rival into international retirement.
Ronaldo's continued presence in the Portugal setup has sparked intense debate for some time, with many questioning whether the 41-year-old truly benefits a Portugal side that must work overtime to compensate for the Al Nassr forward's minimal defensive contribution.
The exit of coach Roberto Martínez following the World Cup appeared to signal a fresh chapter for Portugal, yet his successor, Jorge Jesus, is unwilling to move forward without Ronaldo just yet, naming the veteran forward in his first squad for the upcoming international break.
This time around, however, things may be different.
Jesus Makes Vow Over Ronaldo
The case for retaining Ronaldo in the Portugal squad has always rested on a straightforward premise. He's Cristiano Ronaldo—does anything else need to be said?
Yet that legendary status has not shielded Ronaldo from uncomfortable scrutiny over his underwhelming output at major tournaments. Since his five-goal performance at Euro 2020, Ronaldo has managed just one goal at the 2022 World Cup, a single assist at Euro 2024, and three goals at this summer's World Cup—two of which came against lower-ranked opposition Uzbekistan.
Going forward, Jesus has made clear that simply being "Ronaldo" will no longer be sufficient to guarantee the superstar a place in his squad.
"What matters is his performance," Jesus stated. "The past is irrelevant.
"It will be his performances that dictate the choices I make in training and in matches. In this squad, there are 13 players who have worked with me before. I don't have an established base, so there were several players who proved important in this group.
"Cris is a player like any other. If he performs well, he plays. If not, he doesn't. He carries a different status and has five Ballon d'Or awards, but does that influence my decisions? No."