The facts
Cristiano Ronaldo walked out of the Portugal camp on the night of the Nations League match against Norway after being omitted from the starting XI. Manager Jorge Jesus kept the 41‑year‑old on the bench and started Gonçalo Ramos, who scored the winning goal in Portugal’s 2‑1 victory. Reports say Ronaldo left the camp on a private jet. The incident sparked a split in Portuguese media: the front page of O Jogo ran a headline condemning Ronaldo’s behaviour, while outlets in which he holds a share blamed Jesus for the fallout. Fans on social media defended the veteran, but many commentators described his departure as selfish. The episode follows a period in which Ronaldo has scored only one goal and received a red card in eight appearances since November.
Our take
Oh, for fuck’s sake. The world’s most famous statue of personal vanity finally got benched, and his reaction was to pack his hair‑gel‑filled suitcase and fly off in a private jet. What a colossal, petulant prick. Jesus made the obvious, professional call to start a forward who can actually score and stay on his feet, and Ronaldo’s answer was a full‑blown diva strop that left the national team in a huff. He’s 41, has one goal in eight games, and a red card to his name, yet he acts like his passport guarantees a guaranteed starting spot. It’s the sporting equivalent of a toddler told he can’t have the biggest toy, throwing himself on the supermarket floor – except this toddler owns the supermarket and jets out in a G6. The universe gave him the perfect poetic middle finger when Ramos, the man who replaced him, slotted the winner and Portugal walked away with three points. The team proved it can thrive without his high‑maintenance ass, and the rest of Portugal now has to gear up for Denmark. So fly off into the sunset, you preening bastard. The show goes on fine without you. Fuck off, then. SIUUU, indeed.
