Mourinho, Ten Hag and others: Jesus crisis reopens the black file on Ronaldo
The current crisis is not the first: Ronaldo's memory is full of problems
The latest crisis surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo with the Portugal national team was no isolated incident in the career of one of the greatest players in football history. It came as the extension of a long series of disputes and tensions that have pitted him against coaches, officials and team-mates across more than 25 years on the pitch.
The Portuguese star led his country to glory at the European Championship in 2016, lifted the UEFA Champions League and claimed the Ballon d'Or five times during his club career. Now he has walked out of the current national team camp, throwing his international future into doubt after scoring 146 goals in a Portugal shirt, a record at men's national team level.
Ronaldo, 41, confirmed he would reveal "at the right time" the true reasons that prompted him to leave. His exit followed Roger Schmidt's insistence that there was no crisis, even as the head coach admitted he had made mistakes in how he handled his captain during the match against Norway. Portugal lost that UEFA Nations League tie 1-2, with Ronaldo watching on from the sidelines.
Until Ronaldo gives his full account, his motives remain a mystery, and it is too early to say for certain whether this marks the end of his international career. Bowing out amid such a sharp dispute would hardly come as a shock, though, given the long history of crises attached to his name.
Managing a decline in form or a changing role is no easy task for a star of Ronaldo's stature. His influence on the Portugal national team, for good and ill, has fuelled debate across the last three major tournaments in 2022, 2024 and 2026.
As we wait for clarity on his latest crisis, here are the most notable flashpoints between Ronaldo and coaches or officials during his career, according to a report published by ESPN.
2008: Ronaldo leans on Blatter's comments to push for a departure
Ronaldo's desire to leave Manchester United for Real Madrid peaked in the summer of 2008, when he seized on controversial comments from then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who had likened stopping a player from leaving his club to a form of "modern slavery".
Speaking to Portuguese television, Ronaldo said: "This is true, I agree with what the FIFA president said. I know what I want and what I desire, and we have to see what happens. I don't know where I will start next season."
United refused to budge. Five successful years at Old Trafford counted for nothing as the club held firm, forcing Ronaldo to wait another season before he finally sealed his dream move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2009.
2008: Ronaldo leaves the pitch unexpectedly
Ronaldo walked off suddenly during Manchester United's clash with Sunderland in December 2008, a game his side went on to win 1-0. He headed straight down the tunnel towards the dressing rooms, leaving his team-mates to finish with ten men and forcing the coaching staff to deal with an unexpected situation.
Sir Alex Ferguson leapt to his player's defence. The Portuguese had taken a kick to the hip and needed treatment immediately, the Scot explained, so there was no point sending him back to the substitutes' bench.
The incident revealed another side of Ronaldo. Days earlier he had been crowned with the first Ballon d'Or of his career, and he was starting to show his displeasure openly in certain situations.
2009: public anger after being substituted in the Manchester derby
The scene repeated itself in May 2009, when Ferguson decided to substitute Ronaldo during the clash with Manchester City. The player had scored the opening goal from a free-kick in the 18th minute, in a match that ended with a 2-0 win for United.
Hooking him in the 60th minute and bringing on Paul Scholes in his place sparked a visible reaction. Ronaldo sat on the substitutes' bench for several minutes, shaking his head in a display of dissatisfaction.
That was Ronaldo's last goal in a Manchester United shirt before his return to the club 12 years later.
2012: "I am sad": a mysterious message from Madrid
Three years after joining Real Madrid, Ronaldo courted controversy once again in September 2012. He scored twice in a 3-0 win over Granada in La Liga, yet celebrated neither.
"I am sad over a professional matter, and the club knows this," the Portuguese said afterwards. "That is why I do not celebrate my goals, because I am not happy. The people here know the reason."
Pressed for more, Ronaldo refused to elaborate, and no clear explanation ever emerged for what he meant at the time. He later denied money was behind it, then signed a new contract with the club a year on.
2013: Mourinho attacks Ronaldo after the end of their relationship
Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho hit it off at first when they linked up at Real Madrid. But the bond soured as the 2012-2013 season wore on, the Portuguese coach's last at the Bernabeu.
One sign of the breakdown came after the Copa del Rey tie against Valencia in January that year, when a row erupted inside the dressing room.
Mourinho left Real Madrid that June and returned to Chelsea. Speaking on the programme "Punto Pelota", he fired a shot that laid bare just how deep the tension ran: "Cristiano Ronaldo thinks he knows everything."
2015: Ancelotti preferred over Benítez
Rafael Benitez lasted just six months at Real Madrid. He took over from Carlo Ancelotti in June 2015, only to be sacked the following January.
Speculation swirled during that spell about Ronaldo's unhappiness with the Spaniard's tactical approach. The forward's repeated praise of Ancelotti, whom he called a wonderful person and a distinguished coach, did little to calm the atmosphere.
Ronaldo also made clear he wanted to work with the Italian again, affectionately dubbing him a "big bear". Benitez, for his part, insisted his relationship with the Portuguese star was still a matter of mutual adaptation.
There was never enough time to bridge the gap. Benitez left his post a month after those remarks.
2021: the substitutes' bench paves the way for a new departure
Nine years at Real Madrid and three seasons with Juventus behind him, Ronaldo looked ready for a fresh challenge in the summer of 2021.
He was missing from Juventus's starting line-up for their Serie A opener against Udinese, a game that finished 2-2, amid reports that he had asked not to start.
Juventus had initially dug in to keep their star man. Ronaldo himself had earlier branded reports of a return to Real Madrid as "disrespectful".
Days later, though, he was back at Manchester United on deadline day, having also been linked with a move to neighbours Manchester City.
2022: Rangnick tests Ronaldo's anger over tactical change
In January 2022, Manchester United's interim manager Ralf Rangnick pulled Ronaldo off during the clash with Brentford. United led 2-0, and Rangnick wanted to shore up the defence, so he brought on Harry Maguire and switched to a back three.
Ronaldo made no secret of his anger. He hurled his coat to the ground as he trudged off, and Rangnick went over to have a word.
Describing the reaction as "natural", the manager said he had told Ronaldo he might make the very same call himself once he becomes a manager one day.
United won 3-1. The scoreline backed Rangnick's tactical gamble.
2022: rumours of a clash with Maguire
A month later, Rangnick hit back at reports of a dispute between Ronaldo and Harry Maguire over the Manchester United captaincy, branding them "absolute nonsense".
Maguire, so the reports went, felt threatened by the considerable influence Ronaldo enjoyed inside the dressing room, particularly among the younger players.
Rangnick wasn't having it. He insisted he had never discussed changing the captain with any player, and confirmed Maguire would keep the armband until the end of the season.
2022: an explosive interview that ended a second spell at Manchester United
Tensions between Ronaldo and Manchester United reached their peak in the autumn of 2022, after his role diminished under new manager Erik ten Hag.
October brought matters to a head. Ronaldo refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham and left the ground before the end of the match, having previously done something similar during a pre-season friendly against Rayo Vallecano.
His lengthy interview with broadcaster Piers Morgan effectively brought an end to his second spell at the club.
Ronaldo tore into a number of officials inside Manchester United. He said he had no respect for Ten Hag and felt betrayed by senior figures. He also noted that he did not know Rangnick before he took on the role, and reckoned the club had made no progress since his first spell.
Both parties agreed to part ways by mutual consent after the interview, and Ronaldo left the English club once again.
2022: exclusion from Portugal's starting line-up and the family's anger
During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Portugal manager Fernando Santos dropped Ronaldo from his starting line-up for the last-16 clash against Switzerland.
Gonçalo Ramos made the most of his chance. The replacement struck a hat-trick in a 6-1 rout, handing his manager all the justification he needed.
Santos insisted the call was tactical, not a reaction to Ronaldo's anger after being substituted in the final group-stage match, though he had admitted he disliked his captain's response.
Reports suggested the crisis might deepen before the quarter-final against Morocco. In reply, the Portuguese Federation released a statement denying that Ronaldo had ever threatened to walk out on the national team.
His family took the decision badly. Georgina Rodríguez voiced her regret that the best player in the world had not played the full 90 minutes, while his sister Elma Aveiro branded the exclusion an insult to a man who had given so much to his country.
2026: leaving the camp opens the door to international retirement
The most recent crisis dates back to September 2026, after Ronaldo left the Portugal squad's camp following tensions linked to his role within the team, his non-participation in the match against Norway, and then Jorge Jesus's comments at the press conference.
Ronaldo said he decided to leave after the coach's press conference and a conversation with the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, affirming that he would reveal the truth to the Portuguese people at the appropriate time.
He also sent a message to his teammates, wishing them success "without exception". The phrase raised further questions about the nature of the dispute.
The previous four years had been relatively calm compared to other stages in his career. Now Ronaldo's situation with his national team has returned to the centre of controversy. He has kept scoring goals and winning titles with Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia, and former coach Roberto Martinez backed him clearly through two major tournaments, despite growing criticism of his role.
Jesus had previously worked with Ronaldo at Al-Nassr. Recent developments suggest the relationship between the two now faces a difficult test.
One big question remains. Does this crisis represent the end of an international career that spanned more than two decades, or will Ronaldo return to the national team to turn the page on the dispute? The answer is not yet clear, but the history of the Portuguese star reveals that his relationship with coaches and technical decisions has, on many occasions, been part of his story both on and off the pitch.
