The captain’s dismissal for a frustrated elbow in a shock loss to Ireland could see him miss the first match of his final World Cup.
In a stunning fall from grace, Cristiano Ronaldo has been sent home from the Portugal national team following a disastrous performance that culminated in the first red card of his storied international career during a shocking 2-0 defeat to Ireland.
The iconic captain’s night unravelled in Dublin when, after a misplaced cross, he flung a frustrated elbow into the back of Irish defender Dara O’Shea. Initially shown a yellow card, the decision was upgraded to a red after a VAR review, leaving Ronaldo visibly incensed. He trudged off the pitch after 226 appearances for his country, sarcastically applauding the roaring Irish crowd.
According to Portuguese outlet A Bola, Ronaldo has now been “released from the national team” and will not be present for Portugal’s crucial final qualifier against Armenia. He is expected to return to his club, Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, as his teammates look to secure their World Cup spot without him.
The dismissal could not have come at a worse time. A subsequent two-match ban would rule Ronaldo out of the first game of what is expected to be his final World Cup—a devastating blow for the 39-year-old legend.
Portugal manager Roberto Martinez leapt to his captain’s defence after the match, arguing the incident was not “violent.” He claimed Ronaldo was simply trying to free himself from constant physical attention and was “unlucky” with the camera angles.
This defence rings hollow against Ronaldo’s own pre-match promise. Just hours before the game, he had told reporters with a smile that he hoped Irish fans “don’t boo me too much… I swear that I’m going to try to be a good boy.”
For Ireland, the night was one of pure euphoria. A double from striker Troy Parrott sealed a monumental victory that revives their World Cup dreams. Parrott described the win over the European giants as the “best night of his entire life.”
As Ronaldo faces an uncertain and truncated start to his World Cup farewell, the image of him storming down the tunnel in Dublin marks a stark and dramatic low in his otherwise glorious international career.
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