Cristiano Ronaldo’s latest Portugal dispute revives long history of career conflicts

Cristiano Ronaldo’s decision to leave Portugal’s training camp has raised fresh questions over his international future and revived memories of the disputes that have followed him throughout a career spanning more than 25 years.

The 41-year-old has scored 146 goals for Portugal, a men’s international record, and helped the country win Euro 2016. At club level, he has won the Champions League and claimed five Ballon d’Or awards.

Ronaldo said he would explain the reasons for his departure “at the right time”. Portugal manager Jorge Jesus said there was no crisis but admitted he had made mistakes in handling the captain’s situation before the 2-1 Nations League defeat by Norway, a match Ronaldo did not play in.

It remains too early to say whether the incident marks the end of Ronaldo’s international career. However, a departure following a major disagreement would not be entirely unexpected given his history of tensions with managers, officials and team-mates.

His influence, both positive and negative, has been debated during Portugal’s last three major tournaments in 2022, 2024 and 2026. The following episodes are among the most notable, according to a report by ESPN.

Manchester United and Real Madrid

Ronaldo’s desire to leave Manchester United for Real Madrid reached its peak in 2008, when he backed controversial comments from then-Fifa president Sepp Blatter. Blatter had compared preventing a player from moving to another club with “modern-day slavery”.

“This is true, I agree with what the Fifa president said,” Ronaldo told Portuguese television. “I know what I want and what I would like, and we will have to see what happens. I don’t know where I will start next season.”

Manchester United refused to let him leave after five successful years at Old Trafford, meaning he had to wait until the summer of 2009 before joining Real Madrid.

In December 2008, Ronaldo suddenly left the pitch during Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Sunderland and went straight down the tunnel, leaving his side with 10 players. Sir Alex Ferguson defended him, saying he had taken a kick to the hip and needed immediate treatment.

Ronaldo also showed his frustration in May 2009 after being substituted during the Manchester derby. He had scored from a free-kick in the 18th minute of United’s 2-0 win, but was replaced by Paul Scholes after 60 minutes. He sat on the bench shaking his head. It was his final goal for United before returning to the club 12 years later.

In September 2012, three years after joining Real Madrid, Ronaldo scored twice in a 3-0 La Liga victory over Granada but celebrated neither goal.

“I am sad because of a professional issue, and the club knows about it,” he said. “That is why I am not celebrating my goals, because I am not happy. The people here know why.”

He later denied that money was the cause and signed a new contract a year afterwards.

Ronaldo’s relationship with Jose Mourinho deteriorated during the 2012-13 season, Mourinho’s final campaign at Real Madrid. A dressing-room confrontation after a Copa del Rey match against Valencia in January was reported as a sign of the growing tension.

After Mourinho left for Chelsea in June, he said on the television programme Punto Pelota: “Cristiano Ronaldo thinks he knows everything.”

Ronaldo also appeared to favour Carlo Ancelotti over Rafael Benitez, who replaced the Italian in June 2015 but lasted only six months before being dismissed in January. Ronaldo praised Ancelotti as a wonderful person and excellent manager, said he wanted to work with him again and affectionately called him a “big bear”. Benitez said his relationship with Ronaldo was still developing, but he left before the differences could be resolved.

A second Manchester United departure

After nine years at Real Madrid and three seasons with Juventus, Ronaldo appeared ready for another move in 2021. He was left out of Juventus’ starting XI for their opening Serie A match against Udinese, which ended 2-2, amid reports he had asked not to start.

Juventus initially insisted he would stay, while Ronaldo had previously described reports linking him with Real Madrid as “disrespectful”. Days later, he returned to Manchester United on transfer deadline day after also being linked with Manchester City.

In January 2022, interim United manager Ralf Rangnick substituted Ronaldo during a 2-0 lead over Brentford to bring on Harry Maguire and switch to a back three. Ronaldo threw his coat to the ground as he left the pitch.

Rangnick called the reaction “normal” and said he had told Ronaldo he might make the same decision if he became a manager. United won 3-1, supporting the tactical change.

A month later, Rangnick dismissed reports of a dispute between Ronaldo and Maguire over the United captaincy as “absolute nonsense”. He said he had not discussed changing the captain with any player and confirmed Maguire would remain in the role until the end of the season.

The relationship with United ended later in 2022. Ronaldo refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham in October and left before full time, after a similar incident in a pre-season friendly against Rayo Vallecano.

In an extended interview with Piers Morgan, he said he did not respect Erik ten Hag, felt betrayed by senior figures and had not known Rangnick before his appointment. He also said United had made no progress since his first spell. The interview led to the two sides agreeing to end his contract by mutual consent.

Portugal under pressure

At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Fernando Santos dropped Ronaldo for Portugal’s last-16 match against Switzerland. His replacement, Goncalo Ramos, scored a hat-trick in a 6-1 win, strengthening the manager’s decision.

Santos said the choice was tactical rather than punishment for Ronaldo’s reaction to being substituted in the final group game, although he had previously admitted he disliked that reaction. The Portuguese Football Federation denied reports that Ronaldo had threatened to leave the squad before the quarter-final against Morocco.

Ronaldo’s omission was criticised by members of his family. Georgina Rodriguez expressed regret that the world’s best player had not played the full 90 minutes, while his sister Elma Aveiro called the decision an insult to a man who had given so much to Portugal.

The latest dispute emerged in September 2026 after Ronaldo left the national camp following tension over his role and his absence from the match against Norway. He said he made the decision after Jorge Jesus’ news conference and a conversation with the president of the Portuguese Football Federation.

Ronaldo wished his team-mates success “without exception”, a phrase that prompted further questions about the disagreement. In the previous four years, he had enjoyed a relatively calmer period, continuing to score and win trophies with Al-Nassr while receiving strong backing from former manager Roberto Martinez during two major tournaments despite growing criticism of his role.

Jorge Jesus previously worked with Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, but their relationship is now facing a difficult test. The central question is whether the latest dispute will end an international career lasting more than two decades, or whether Ronaldo will return and bring the disagreement to a close.