The Portugal national team has congratulated Cristiano Ronaldo on winning the ‘BOAT’ (Best of All Time) award, a special Ballon d’Or recognition decided by a public vote. The message from the federation came as the 41-year-old forward remains at the center of a controversy with the national team after he walked out of the squad earlier this month.
“From 2008 to eternity. The all-time Ballon d’Or is Portuguese. Congratulations, Captain!” the team wrote on X, tagging the Ballon d’Or and Ronaldo’s account. The award was decided in an online vote on the official Ballon d’Or website, where fans chose the greatest individual season among 10 players who each won the prize at least twice. Ronaldo’s 2008 campaign with Manchester United, which earned him his first Ballon d’Or, finished first, ahead of Lionel Messi’s 2012 season.
The congratulations are notable because of the situation between Ronaldo and Portugal in recent weeks. After being substituted in the opening Nations League match against Wales and remaining an unused substitute in the win over Norway, he left the national team camp before the game against Denmark, following a dispute with coach Jorge Jesus over his playing time.
Ronaldo later explained in a long statement that he felt the coach had broken his word, apologized to his teammates and the Portuguese public, and said he would accept any punishment.
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A fine and a 30-day ban for Cristiano Ronaldo
After several days without a response on a possible punishment, a decision finally arrived on Oct. 19, when the Portuguese Football Federation’s Disciplinary Council found him guilty of leaving the camp without authorization. He was handed a 30-day suspension from the national team, covering official and friendly matches, along with a fine of €255.
According to reports, the ban could rule him out of Portugal’s final Nations League group games against Denmark and Wales on Nov. 14 and Nov. 17, unless the time already served is taken into account.
Ronaldo has insisted that he does not plan to retire from the national team and said he will be available after serving his suspension. Jesus, for his part, has said the door remains open and that “Cris is the one who’s going to decide”. The federation’s message of “Captain” suggests it still treats him as its leader, even as his future with the team remains unresolved.
