Ex-Chelsea star Frank Leboeuf has described Cristiano Ronaldo’s decision to leave Portugal national team as ‘sad’ after the dramatic events on Wednesday.
Moments after Jorge Jesus’ press conference ahead of the UEFA Nations League clash against Denmark, Cristiano Ronaldo decided to walk out of the Portugal camp. The 41-year-old was asked to warm-up but did not come on as a substitute as Jesus left him on the bench in the win over Norway last Sunday.
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Cristiano Ronaldo responded by walking straight down the tunnel after the full time whistle, refusing to acknowledge the travelling Portugal fans in Oslo. In the wake of the tensions, Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proenca flew into the national team camp to hold talks with the captain and the coach.
And after reportedly feeling betrayed by the head coach, Cristiano Ronaldo issued a statement about leaving the team, subsequently jetting off to Madrid to meet his family.
As per O’Jogo, Cristiano Ronaldo will retire from the national team. Although there is no confirmation from the Al-Nassr star on his future plans, he has promised to reveal the truth about his decision soon.
Leboeuf, who won the FIFA World Cup with France in 1998, insists this isn’t the ending a player like Cristiano Ronaldo deserves. He stated that the whole incident puts the player and Portugal in bad light.
The former Chelsea defender admitted that Cristiano Ronaldo deserved a celebratory farewell like Lionel Messi instead of the ‘sad’ escape like the one we’re seeing now.
Leboeuf said on ESPN FC:
“It’s not [a good look on Ronaldo or Portugal]. But I think we have to be a little bit patient to really know what’s going on and what really happened. Cristiano will tell us the truth about that story soon.
“Like any other player, if you are on the bench, you want to be a part of it and you can be frustrated and irritated [if you don’t play], that’s just normal. Then I received another email saying that he left and I say, ‘oh my god, what’s going on?’
“That’s not possible that we can see an ending like this. That cannot be the ending for a player like him. A player like him has to decide for himself that maybe it’s the end of it and I say goodbye, thank you, farewell.
“And then you do what they did for Messi, a last game, a tribute for him because he deserves that. That is the only ending you want to see, the celebration. Now it is an escape and that’s very sad.
“If it is what everybody is assuming, it’s sad. I still want to believe that there is something happening and they did it for the best of the national team to make sure it ends in a good way.”
Portugal face Denmark on Thursday before wrapping up the international break with a clash against Norway in Porto on Sunday.
Cristiano Ronaldo refused to make U-turn on leaving Portugal despite being followed till airport: Reports
Spanish publication MARCA have claimed that Portugal coach Jorge Jesus and their football president Pedro Proenca followed Cristiano Ronaldo till the airport to convince him to stay.
However, the superstar remained firm on his decision to leave his teammates behind and fly out in his private jet. The entire incident has gone down as one of the most dramatic events in world football.
Fans fear their icon may never return to play for Portugal again, marking a disappointing end to his remarkable career. The star striker is the nation’s all-time appearance maker and has scored the most number of goals for them.
Edited by Nived Zenith