Cristiano Ronaldo's exit from international soccer is unfortunate. But the mark he leaves is extraordinary

Toronto Star · Dave Feschuk · 2026-11-06 10:00 UTC

The comparison to Lionel Messi, not always favourable, has continued in the way the two stars have said their goodbyes.

Cristiano Ronaldo is among the most popular athletes to ever walk this planet. So maybe it makes sense that he is the latest embodiment of an eternal sporting truth.

Exiting gracefully doesn’t always come easily to the greats.

There’s no other way to class the timing of Ronaldo’s Thursday retirement from the Portuguese national team than unfortunate. It came a little more than a month after the country’s all-time superstar was suspended for 30 days by the Portuguese soccer federation for abandoning the team’s training camp in apparent disgruntlement over the diminishment of his role with the squad.

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