The Portuguese Football Federation has pledged to honour Cristiano Ronaldo following the captain's announcement of his international retirement, as manager Jorge Jesus named his first squad since the decision and faced a barrage of questions about the rift that preceded it.
Ronaldo, 41, revealed his decision to retire from international football in a social media post on Thursday, bringing to an end a Portugal career that spanned 234 appearances and produced 146 goals.
Speaking before Friday's squad announcement, federation president Pedro Proenca promised that Ronaldo's contribution would be celebrated, though he offered no indication of whether the forward would agree to take part in a farewell appearance.
"No tribute will ever be enough to thank him for everything he has done for Portuguese football, for Portugal," Proenca said. "We will do everything we can to honour the legacy he leaves us. Everything he has done deserves to be honoured and celebrated."
For November's Nations League fixtures against Wales and Denmark, Jesus called up seven new faces, five of them drawn from the under-21 squad. Yet it was Ronaldo's absence that dominated the proceedings.
The forward left Portugal's camp without permission at the end of September, ahead of a Nations League match against Denmark, and never returned. He later blamed broken promises from Jesus for his departure.
Jesus grew visibly irritated as journalists pressed him about the dispute, repeating that he preferred to talk about his selections rather than Ronaldo. "All my decisions were made with the team in mind. As a manager, I have always defended what was best for the team. I am at peace with my decision," he said, insisting there were no hard feelings.
The manager maintained that Ronaldo had remained in his plans right up until Thursday's announcement. "I found out when we all did," Jesus said. "Until then, I knew nothing about it. He was playing, he was scoring goals; he was one of the players on my squad list." He added that he had not contacted Ronaldo since the news broke.
Proenca, for his part, said he, Jesus and everyone at the federation respected Ronaldo's decision, and he praised the striker's leadership and his influence on generations of Portuguese players.
"The best way to honour and celebrate him is to honour his boundless ambition. To always play to win. To never be afraid of being the best in the world," Proenca said. "Thank you for everything, captain. This is and always will be your home."
