"Cristiano Ronaldo? It should never have come to this..."

Carlos Godinho, the former technical director of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) who spent 50 years with the governing body—including more than two decades working closely with Cristiano Ronaldo—has shared his thoughts on the controversy surrounding "the greatest Portuguese player of all time."

"I followed him from day one in 2003, in Chaves, during the match against Kazakhstan, and all I can say and feel is that I am eternally grateful for everything he has done throughout all these years. He is far above any ordinary human being, any footballer—above Eusébio and Figo. I know firsthand what every single achievement took," Godinho stated in an interview with RTP Antena 1, acknowledging that this day was bound to come, even if he did not expect it to happen like this.

"That dilemma always comes up for everyone; there comes a moment when you realize you have to step aside, but that was never discussed with him or within the setup. We knew it would happen one day, naturally. He knew it too and spoke about it recently. It's normal, but there are ways and ways for it to happen," he added, lamenting the potential end to Ronaldo's international career.

"We shouldn't have reached this point. Without trying to judge anyone fairly or unfairly, I've been away from the FPF for a year and a half... I don't know the current staff, the setup, or the board, but it seems to me that it should never have come to this," he concluded.