In Toronto, far from Lisbon and the familiar pressure of Portugal’s national-team camps, Miralem Pjanic offered a sympathetic view of Cristiano Ronaldo’s uncertain international moment. The former Juventus and Barcelona midfielder believes Portugal must find a respectful way to manage the closing chapter of a player who has shaped the country’s modern football history.
Pjanic described the recent scenes surrounding Ronaldo’s Portugal call-ups as sad, though he stopped short of placing blame either on the forward or on the coaching staff. Instead, the Bosnian sees a clash of perspectives: a national-team set-up trying to balance its squad, and a player whose appetite for competition has never been moderated by age.
“He does not look at his age, but at what he feels he can still give,” Pjanic said at the sporting event in Canada. “He is an insatiable competitor who wants to play every minute, and perhaps that does not entirely fit with the coach’s plan.”
A teammate’s understanding of Ronaldo
The assessment comes from someone who watched Ronaldo’s standards at close quarters. Pjanic and the Portuguese forward shared a dressing room at Juventus, where the midfielder experienced first-hand the intensity and relentless ambition that have defined Ronaldo’s career.
For Pjanic, that mentality helps explain why any reduced role with Portugal would be difficult for the veteran attacker to accept. Yet he hopes the national side and its long-serving star can settle on an arrangement that avoids unnecessary tension.
“I hope Cristiano and Portugal can reach a satisfying agreement,” Pjanic said. “He is one of the greatest players in history and has earned the right to a farewell worthy of his career.”
Portugal’s task, in Pjanic’s view, is therefore not simply about selection or minutes on the pitch. It is about ensuring that one of the defining figures of its footballing era is able to leave the international stage with the recognition his contribution warrants.
