Despite being 41 years old, as soon as the Portuguese legend doesn't get what he wants, he acts like a spoilt child. Not only is it acutely embarrassing, but it threatens to tarnish his legacy.
Ronaldo's lack of respect
No one can doubt that he is one of the very best to have ever played the game, but his attitude at times, and that of his family, who routinely take to social media to talk about a 'lack of respect' towards the player, leaves a very sour taste.
What about the lack of respect that Ronaldo himself has shown towards his teammates and managers across the years as a result of these peculiar outbursts?
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On this occasion, being named as a sub against Norway and not being brought on by national team coach Jorge Jesus has resulted in Ronaldo storming out of the Portuguese training camp before their fixture against Denmark and, one suspects, that could be the last we see of him in those colours.
From Jesus' perspective, he was quite clear as to his reasoning why Ronaldo didn't come off the bench.
Jorge Jesus was clear in his reasoning
“Any player - and I was a player myself - when you spend 20 or 30 minutes warming up and then don’t get on, no one is happy about that," he was quoted as saying.
“Afterwards, as coach, I decided not to bring him on. It’s nothing to make a fuss about. If I need Ronaldo, he’ll come on. If I don’t need him, he won’t.”
Straightforward and unequivocal, though seemingly not acceptable to the captain.
“I still believe that I’m able to help the national team to reach what they want, and will finish when I feel like I’m not doing anything here," Ronaldo said in response.
“I think I can give the national team my support, not only through the goals, but also outside of football. This is a new young generation, but for me the basic point is to be able to score goals on the pitch and to help the team win games.”
A veiled threat
There was also a veiled threat delivered via social media that Ronaldo would 'tell the truth' about his departure in due time.
That sounds like another attempt to spin and control the narrative because he cannot and will not accept that others are potentially calling time on his international career.
Jesus, who managed the Portuguese at Al Nassr, is made of stronger stuff, and clearly won't be swayed if he believes it's not in the squad's best interests.
Suggestions that such an attitude deserves praise are also inherently wrong. He's the manager and should be free to select who he wishes - without interference or pressure.
Has Ronaldo tarnished an incredible international career?
However, to stand up to a player of Ronaldo's standing (and his representatives) who will use all the tricks in the book - via the media and otherwise - takes guts.
For Ronaldo, his international reputation may actually be the one thing that's tarnished now, and that would be a real shame.
Even taking into account the 'baggage' that often comes with the player, on the pitch he rarely has an equal.
When playing for Portugal, his stats make astonishing reading and will certainly stand the test of time.
At the time of writing, Ronaldo has scored the most men's international goals (146), has made the most international appearances (234), has the most international victories (141), and has 10 hat-tricks for Portugal.
To give some perspective on his international goalscoring, Lionel Messi has 125 but will be retiring from the Argentine national team in early October, and the next closest striker that is still active is Belgium's Romelu Lukaku, and he's way back on 93 goals.
Even Robert Lewandowski and Harry Kane are only on 89 and 87, respectively.
Another world record he holds is scoring for his country in every year since he made his debut in 2003.
Even if one puts his goalscoring exploits to one side, Ronaldo's influence on the Portuguese national team isn't in question.
What a shame it would be then if all of that were to be overshadowed by such immaturity.
If he truly did have the national team's best interests at heart, then he would accept his manager's decision with good grace and attempt to win his place back, rather than making veiled threats which will ensure that full focus remains on him and him alone.
Jason Pettigrove has been the features writer for Flashscore since 2025, utilising Opta data to form the basis of his articles. He has previously worked for high-profile football clubs, news and media outlets, both in print and digital, and can usually be found watching FC Barcelona when time permits. You can read more of his pieces here.
