Ronaldo benched for Portugal for first time since 2008
Cristiano Ronaldo spends entire match on Portugal's bench for the first time since 2008, raising questions about his international future.
Key Takeaways
AIPortuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo endured a frustrating night on a personal level after remaining on the bench for the full 90 minutes during Portugal’s 2-1 win over Norway in the UEFA Nations League.
According to Portuguese newspaper ABola, this marks the first time Ronaldo has been an unused substitute for his national team since June 15, 2008, when Portugal faced Switzerland at Euro 2008—6,678 days ago.
Head coach Jorge Jesus stated that he had planned to bring Ronaldo on after an hour of play, but changed his mind based on the flow of the match, emphasizing that the decision was purely tactical.
Questions over Ronaldo’s international future
With Ronaldo now 41 and Jesus newly appointed as head coach, some reports have questioned whether this decision signals the beginning of the end for Ronaldo’s international career.
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For his part, Jesus downplayed the significance of not fielding the team captain, noting that Ronaldo could feature in the next match against Denmark on Thursday, while Portugal will face Norway again next Sunday.