Real Madrid absent and Messi present: how is Cristiano Ronaldo thinking about his retirement ceremony?

Press reports have revealed details behind the ceremony that Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, captain of Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr, intends to hold in order to retire from football for good in the coming period.

Ronaldo turns 42 next February, amid reports confirming that the current season will be the last of his football career, especially if he achieves his dream and reaches his 1000th goal.

Saudi journalist Abdulaziz Al-Muraisel has revealed some behind-the-scenes details about Ronaldo's retirement ceremony. The forward is considering a friendly between Al-Nassr and the Portugal national team in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

In a tweet on his personal "X" account, Al-Muraisel explained that the Portuguese star wants to invite many distinguished players and coaches to that match. Top of the list is his Argentine rival Lionel Messi, captain of America's Inter Miami.

Messi may well attend. Real Madrid, however, will not be among the participants, despite being the club where Ronaldo spent nine years, became its all-time top scorer and wrote the greater part of his history.

The "Madeira Rocket" refuses to have Jorge Jesus, the head coach of the Portugal national team, take part in that match. Their recent fallout is to blame, and it puts the whole event under threat unless the current coach leaves his post in the coming period.

Another idea put to Ronaldo involves a tribute match staged across the continents of Europe, South and North America, Africa and Asia, on the grounds that he is the only player who enjoys a fan following bigger than the popularity of all the world's national teams.

Invitations to Ronaldo's teammates, coaches and content creators would be divided across those matches. The idea is still under study, but "the Don" appears enthusiastic about it, especially as it would be held in the best stadiums in the world.

Ronaldo announced his retirement from international football last week, after 23 years with the Portugal national team. He racked up a string of major honours in that time, both individually and collectively.

He ended his international journey after 234 matches, in which he scored 146 goals, and lifted three titles with his country. The most notable was the European Championship "Euro 2016", alongside two UEFA Nations League triumphs in 2019 and 2025.

Those titles were the first Portugal had ever won. The national team had never claimed an official tournament before the era of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo brought his international career to a close after a crisis that gripped sporting circles during the last international break, raising questions about his relationship with coach Jorge Jesus.

Tension took hold of the camp after Ronaldo left the squad in Denmark without permission.

He served a 30-day suspension and paid a fine of 255 euros for walking out on the national team.

The Portuguese star had already said he was ready to accept any penalty for his behaviour, which duly followed. But the crisis did not stop at the disciplinary side, and the relationship between him and Jesus never recovered from the dispute that flared between them.

Ronaldo felt betrayed by explanatory statements made by the Portuguese coach, believing they failed to respect the explicit agreement the pair had reached in a previous meeting. That prompted him to spell out his position in a sharply worded message.

The tension between the two rumbled on, amid doubts over Ronaldo's inclusion in Portugal's upcoming squad for the Denmark game on 14 November and Wales on the 17th, the final two rounds of the UEFA Nations League group stage.

His name featured on the preliminary list for the two matches. The retirement decision ended any speculation about a return, meaning the holder of the number 7 shirt will be absent from his country for the rest of his football career.

Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proença tried to step in and contain the crisis, hoping to bring Ronaldo back into the fold. The mediation failed to put things right.