Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal future questioned as ‘his time has passed’, says former goalkeeper

Jose Manuel Delgado, the former Portugal goalkeeper and A Bola columnist, has criticised Cristiano Ronaldo after the Al Nassr forward left the national team’s training camp on Wednesday, arguing that his international career has reached its end.

Delgado said Ronaldo, who is 41, could still have helped Portugal through his experience, charisma and limited appearances. However, he claimed the forward had been unable to accept his reduced role with the national team.

Ronaldo’s historic record for Portugal makes him “one of the greatest players in the history of football”, Delgado wrote, but it does not guarantee him a starting place indefinitely.

The columnist said he had previously called for Ronaldo to say farewell to international football after the 2022 World Cup. In his view, the gap between what the player wants to do and what his body can now provide has become increasingly clear.

Referring to the period after the 2026 World Cup, Delgado compared Ronaldo with ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev, whose performances were mesmerising in his younger years but became painful to watch when he returned after several years away. He also likened the forward to the character Dorian Gray, who refuses to acknowledge the passing of time.

‘The Jesus era’

Delgado argued that Ronaldo has lost much of the speed that was once one of his greatest strengths, while his relationship with the ball is no longer what it was.

He said Ronaldo’s continued involvement with Portugal in recent years could no longer be justified by the level of sporting contribution he had produced in the past.

Writing about the beginning of “the Jesus era”, Delgado suggested the Portuguese manager had recognised that the national team could not compete at its best when Ronaldo did not contribute sufficiently to defensive work.

At the same time, Delgado said Ronaldo was no longer able to offer in attack the pace, skill and reactions that had previously distinguished him.

Ronaldo’s place on the bench against Norway, followed by Goncalo Ramos scoring the winning goal, quickly showed that the situation within the national team had changed, Delgado wrote.

He insisted the issue was no longer about what Jesus had said or done, but about the belief that “Ronaldo’s time has passed”.

Delgado ended his column by saying he would remain grateful for everything Ronaldo had given Portugal. However, he judged that the former Real Madrid player had become a sporting burden for the team.

He also criticised the way Ronaldo left the national team camp, saying the current phase required the players selected by Jesus to prove a basic truth of football: “No one wins anything alone, whatever their name.”