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Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer believes Cristiano Ronaldo risks missing out on the kind of emotional international farewell enjoyed by his long-time rival, Lionel Messi.
Messi recently expressed that he was “grateful, proud, and at peace” after scoring his 126th goal in his 208th appearance for Argentina. Played out in front of more than 85,000 supporters in Buenos Aires, the emotional match marked his final appearance in an Argentina shirt.
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At 39 years old, Messi will now focus exclusively on his club career with Inter Miami.
In stark contrast, Ronaldo’s international future appears increasingly turbulent after he reportedly fell out with Portugal manager Jorge Jesus following a lack of playing time against Norway.
Speaking to Betfair, former England striker weighed in on Ronaldo’s current situation.
“There was no apology in there to the manager, was there? I find it really hard to look at this situation with Ronaldo because the hardest thing as a player when you go on the other side of the hill—clearly Ronaldo’s not as good as he once was, and the levels that he hit were staggering—is to accept that your best days are gone. It’s the hardest thing to give up, and I get it and I understand it because I’ve been there. It happened to me when I was a lot younger than Ronaldo.”
Shearer continued: “I don’t think it’s been a good look for Ronaldo, has it, in terms of him walking off and then putting the statement out. I know he apologised to the players and fans, but there was no apology to the manager in there. I just find it sad. I don’t like it because he’s one of the greatest players we’ve ever seen play the game and his talent is ridiculous, and I don’t like seeing it because it’s not a nice situation.”
While acknowledging Ronaldo’s relentless drive, noting his impressive goalscoring form in the Saudi Pro League, Shearer pointed out the inevitable reality facing ageing legends.
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“I get the frustration and the anger from his side because when you’ve been to that level, to all of a sudden you’re not at that level anymore… and he still scores goals and I admire all of that. I admire his determination and dedication not to give up. I get that, but the hardest part is that it all comes to us. Eventually, you’re not as good as you once were.”
Concluding his assessment, Shearer lamented the differing paths of the sport’s two modern greats: “You’ve got the two greatest players of our era both coming to an end, and it’s ending in very different ways, which is such a shame. Because Ronaldo deserves the send-off which Messi got the other night for Argentina, and if what is happening keeps happening, then that won’t be the case.”
