According to Daily Mail, Cristiano Ronaldo has left Portugal's training camp after being benched for the first time in 18 years.

Messi is preparing to play Argentina's final match in Buenos Aires next week. A friendly against Benin, dubbed "The Last Tango," will give Argentina a chance to honor one of the greatest players of all time.

It remains to be seen whether Cristiano Ronaldo will receive the same farewell from international football. Messi appears to have accepted the decision with grace and recognized the limitations that come with age, while Cristiano Ronaldo is fighting against time with defiance.

It is hard not to feel sad seeing the 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo leave Portugal's training camp. He started in the previous match against Wales, but head coach Jorge Jesus did not bring him on as a substitute in the game where Portugal defeated Norway in the Nations League in Oslo on Sunday. This is the first time in 18 years that Cristiano Ronaldo has not appeared in an international match.

Subsequently, Cristiano Ronaldo did not attend training on Tuesday. He then had dinner with Jesus to try to resolve their dispute. He has made 234 appearances for Portugal and scored 146 goals. The way he is leaving the national team, especially late in his career, suggests his playing days are coming to an end.

In fact, Portugal has always needed strong leadership. Many believe Cristiano Ronaldo should have stepped down as Portugal's starter at least five years ago. He has become an example of an aging star who relies solely on personal image and past reputation.

Now he seems to be playing only for himself. Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 979 goals in his professional career and hopes to become the first player officially recognized as scoring 1,000 goals. Pelé, Romário, and others have claimed this milestone, but their statistics rely largely on unofficial matches, including friendlies.

Now it seems that if Cristiano Ronaldo wants to keep scoring, he can only do so at Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. The club has seemed to indulge his pride since he signed in December 2022. Shortly before that, he left Manchester United, claiming the club that made him famous in English football had betrayed him.

Former Portugal coach Roberto Martínez lacked the courage and willingness to confront this struggle. He was influenced by Cristiano Ronaldo and insisted on relying heavily on him at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the recent World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Portugal had a squad brimming with incredible talent in both tournaments, but Cristiano Ronaldo's inclusion often sparked major conflict and divided opinion. He played for pride, not form. In both tournaments, Portugal suffered. At the World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, Portugal remained one of the favorites but got off to a poor start and was ultimately knocked out by Spain in the round of 16.

Cristiano Ronaldo said at the time that he was considering retiring from international football, but ultimately decided to continue. In his finest period, he was an exceptional player, second only to Messi among this generation of superstars, but he has not played at that level for a long time. Now even his past reputation seems unable to help him.

He has become one of those legends who refused to leave the stage but is destroying his own legacy. Watching him play now is like watching a boxer who has taken too many punches. Those who genuinely care for him hope he will stop, but Cristiano Ronaldo cannot.

Throughout his career, he was a model professional, fully dedicated to sports. But now he cannot let go. He is addicted to the game and the spotlight, and he cannot accept it when a coach says "no." The moment Jesus did so, Cristiano Ronaldo walked out of the training camp.

This scene was inevitable. Many were surprised that the former Paris Saint-Germain striker Gonçalo Ramos—who now plays for AC Milan—was not Portugal's starter at this year's World Cup. But Jesus started him in the match against Norway, and Ramos repaid that decision with a winning goal.

Jesus has hinted that Ramos, not Cristiano Ronaldo, will remain Portugal's starter in the Nations League match against Denmark in Copenhagen tonight. This seems to be too much for Cristiano Ronaldo to accept. Time catches up with everyone, no matter how great they are. Messi accepted this after the World Cup final. We can only hope that Cristiano Ronaldo will accept the truth at some point and stop damaging his legacy.

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