Thank You for Everything, Cristiano. Now It's Time to Go!

The World Cup campaign got off to a rocky start for Portugal. It wasn't just the result or the performance against Congo, but rather the overwhelming feeling that the National Team entered the competition without a clear strategy, lacking the ability to react, and without the leadership demanded by such a grand stage. Roberto Martínez's squad selection had already raised eyebrows. The decision to bring an excessive number of goalkeepers, the apparent imbalance between full-backs and center-backs, and the absence of players with specific attributes for certain game situations, like João Palhinha, sparked legitimate questions. The problem is, these doubts didn't dissipate after the first match; on the contrary, they intensified.

Portugal appeared predictable, slow, and unable to find solutions against an organized and competitive opponent. More concerning than the result was the team's inability to interpret what was unfolding on the pitch. There was a lack of game awareness before kickoff, throughout the ninety minutes, and even after the final whistle. When a team repeatedly makes the same mistakes without visible corrections, the issue ceases to be circumstantial and becomes structural.

Adding to this was the unsettling revelation about the coach's impending departure on the eve of the Congo match, fueling discussions about his future at a time when all attention should have been solely focused on the World Cup. Instead of stability and focus, noise prevailed. And in tournaments of this magnitude, noise rarely benefits those aiming for victory.

But there's an even more delicate issue: Cristiano Ronaldo. I write these lines with profound gratitude. Cristiano is, for me, the greatest footballer in Portugal's history and one of the two greatest players in world football history. He has given us titles, records, unforgettable moments, and an international projection that no previous generation achieved. The entire country is indebted to him. Precisely for this reason, it's painful to witness this end of an era. At 41, Cristiano is no longer the player he was at 31. He couldn't be. Time, an unbeatable adversary, affects us all, and professional athletes even more so, regardless of their greatness. And what for two decades was undeniable – his status as the national team's primary reference – is no longer the case.

The primary person responsible for this situation is Cristiano himself, for not acknowledging that, however hard it is to accept, the time has come to retire from our national team. The second is Roberto Martínez, who, subserviently, never demonstrated the capacity or authority to manage this transition in the way the collective interest demanded. The psychological and tactical conditioning caused by Ronaldo's presence remains evident. Many players seek him out excessively, many plays are built around him, and the team loses spontaneity. The warm-up match against Chile was a clear example. After Cristiano's substitution at halftime, Portugal became more mobile, more unpredictable, and ultimately broke the deadlock. This isn't about disrespecting a legend; it's about recognizing a competitive reality.

There's also a third responsibility: that of those surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo who continue to feed him the false idea that he can still carry the National Team on his back alone, as he so often did over the past two decades. He cannot. Neither can anyone else.

For all these reasons, I make a sincere appeal. Cristiano Ronaldo has nothing left to prove. Not to the Portuguese, not to football, not to himself. His historical stature is forever guaranteed. The time has come to exit the stage with the same grandeur with which he entered. Out of respect for himself, for his teammates, for the National Team, for the Club that shaped him – the great Sporting Clube de Portugal – to set an example for the thousands of kids who are just starting to kick a ball and who, like this almost elderly writer, look up to him as an idol, and out of respect for the millions of Portuguese who grew up admiring him.

Legends don't cease to be legends when they stop playing. On the contrary. Often, they become even greater when they know how to choose the right moment to say goodbye.