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Cristiano Ronaldo’s international career may be over, but José Mourinho believes the Portuguese icon is far from finished.
Cristiano Ronaldo reacts after failing to score during the Nations League match against Wales (Picture credit: AP)
Real Madrid head coach José Mourinho, who coached Cristiano Ronaldo during the 2010-13 period at the Spanish club, has said that anyone who knows the latter knows that he still has goals for his career, adding that whenever he says goodbye to the sport, the departure should be better than Thursday’s.
Ronaldo announced his retirement from international football on Thursday at the age of 41, bringing an illustrious career with Portugal to a close. Since making his debut in 2003, he went on to earn a world-record 234 caps for his nation, scoring 146 goals.
During their time together at Real Madrid, Mourinho and Ronaldo won three trophies: La Liga (2011-12), the Copa del Rey (2010-11) and the Spanish Super Cup (2012). Ronaldo enjoyed a prolific run under the Portuguese manager, scoring 168 goals in 164 appearances across all competitions.
“It isn’t a retirement; his career has not ended. Anyone who knows him knows he still has goals for his career. The only thing I would hope for is that when the day finally comes for him to retire as a footballer, it happens differently than it did yesterday,” Mourinho said while speaking to the media.
Ronaldo had a falling-out with Portugal coach Jorge Jesus in late September after the latter opted against fielding the forward in a Nations League game.
Ronaldo left the team camp and was handed a 30-day suspension, bringing a disappointing end to an international career highlighted by Portugal’s Euro 2016 win.
Ronaldo is expected to continue playing for Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, with his current contract running until June 2027.
“To the Portuguese people, the day has come for me to hand back the number seven shirt of our national team. I never felt it belonged to me alone, but for 23 years I had the privilege and the responsibility of wearing it, defending it and carrying it with me into stadiums all around the world,” Ronaldo said in an Instagram video.
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Ask News18José Mourinho stated that Cristiano Ronaldo still has career goals and expressed hope that his eventual retirement from football as a whole will end differently than his departure from the national team.
Ask News18November 06, 2026, 6:25 PM IST
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