Ronaldo’s retirement stance and Messi drama: Five things you might have missed from the international break

The November international break is currently underway.

Right now, at least when it comes to Europe, qualifying for next summer’s Nations League finals is concluding. We are now at the point where teams are booking their quarter-final spot, avoiding relegation, and gaining promotion, but there’s plenty of action outside the continent.

With so many games being played, it’s easy to miss important or memorable events. But don’t worry – Squawka is here, with five things you might have missed.

Cristiano Ronaldo will turn 40 next February, and chances are he’ll lead Portugal at the 2025 Nations League finals next summer.

Father Time is undefeated, but Ronaldo is giving him a good fight. The five-time Ballon d’Or recipient is the leading scorer in League A with five strikes.

He is a major reason for Portugal’s qualification as Group A1 victors with one game to spare. Ronaldo, the all-time leading international goalscorer in the men’s game, netted in all but one of Portugal’s opening five matches (four wins and one draw) and last time out against Poland, he scored twice (a cheeky Panenka-style penalty and an incredible overhead kick) and created another goal.

Success was also his 132 at this level, making Ronaldo the most-winning international footballer, surpassing former Real Madrid teammate Sergio Ramos (131). There were retirement talks following that aforementioned Euro 2024 disappointment, but Ronaldo isn’t entertaining such thoughts.

“I just want to enjoy,” he told reporters. “Plan for retirement… if it has to happen, in one or two years… I don’t know. I’m turning 40 soon… I really want to enjoy, as long as I feel motivated I keep going.

“The day I don’t feel motivated, I will retire. When I decide to leave the national team, I’ll do it spontaneously but thoughtfully. There won’t be any advance announcements. I don’t see myself managing a team; that’s not in my plans. My future lies in other areas outside of football, although time will tell what happens.”

There was much fanfare in Scotland heading into this past summer’s European Championship, but the Tartan Army couldn’t witness Steve Clarke’s side win a game and that miserable form carried into their Nations League campaign.

Indeed, they were on an eight-game winless run heading into their penultimate fixture against Croatia, which many observers felt would see another setback, though John McGinn had other ideas, netting in the 86th minute, thus snapping this barren run.

Peter Sučić being sent off minutes from the break understandably helped Scotland’s cause, but they were up for it, and none more so than Liverpool youngster Ben Doak (currently on loan at Middlesbrough), who gave Manchester City left-back Josko Gvardiol a torrid evening.

One moment was in the 18th minute of the match at Hampden Park when Doak was preparing to receive a pass on the right flank but appeared to have nowhere to go due to the close attention of Gvardiol; that was until the Scottish forward casually flicked the ball behind him and swivelled instantly to get away from the City defender, who was left trying to halt Doak in vain.

He wouldn’t complete the full game as Clarke took him off in stoppage time, which felt by design as it allowed the Hampden crowd to serenade Doak with a standing ovation.

“I thought they did that for every sub,” he said.“It’s nice getting a round of applause but I don’t really look too much into that. If it was a wee bit extra then I really appreciate the support from all the fans.”

Luciano Spalletti couldn’t successfully guide Italy to back-to-back European Championship titles as their defence faltered, with some questioning the future of Italian football. Those dark thoughts are now becoming a distant memory, with the Azzurri unbeaten in their Nations League campaign and comfortably booking their place for next summer’s finals.

Before heading to Newcastle from Milan, there were many heavy expectations placed on the shoulders of Sandro Tonali, who missed Euro 2024 after being prohibited from playing football for 10 months for breaching Italian betting regulations. He’s since returned to international duty, and you can see him becoming a prominent fixture on Spalletti’s team.

Ever-present in this Nations League phase, he registered two assists before scoring the only goal in Italy’s win against Belgium this week. It was Tonali’s first goal for the national team.

“The first goal in his twentieth appearance on a perfect central insertion. He hadn’t scored, in absolute terms, for over a year, 14 months to be precise,” wrote the Corriere Della Sera.

“If Italy, after a European Championship to forget, has relaunched itself it is also because in midfield it can count on the quality and strength of the former AC Milan player.”

A lot was riding on when the Republic of Ireland entertained Finland with only three points separating them in Group B2. England and Greece are now assured of at least promotion play-offs but can still be promoted automatically.

Earlier in the campaign, a late Robbie Brady strike gave Ireland the win in Helsinki, with Finland looking to even the scores. They had their chances, hitting the woodwork twice while Joel Pohjanpalo was unable to convert a 12-yard spot-kick as Liverpool shot-stopper Caoimhin Kelleher denied him.

Ultimately, a 45th-minute strike from Brighton marksman Evan Ferguson decided the contest. It seems the 20-year-old striker has become somewhat of a forgotten man, with him only making six Premier League appearances this season and yielding one goal, which came against Wolves recently; a barren patch of almost a year was partly down to an ankle injury, but he’s feeling good about himself with a date with England at Wembley on the horizon.

“I’m getting there. It’s a lot harder than I thought it would be since surgery,” he said. “It’s hard to say, as soon as it happens, a timeline. It just depends on your body, but I’m glad I didn’t rush it and now I’m back and I’m feeling good and I’m probably in the best shape I’ve been in.”

Ireland have nothing to lose as they can’t finish any higher than third place, which guarantees qualification for relegation play-offs.

Since their successful Copa America title defence, it’s been a mixed showing for Argentina who have looked good at home but are showing some cracks on the road. Big wins over Chile (3-0) and Bolivia (6-0) are surrounded by disappointing results at Colombia (2-1), Venezuela (1-1) and most recently, Paraguay (2-1), with those two losses in four matches being as many as in their previous 28 matches.

Things are not disastrous as Argentina still leads the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers table but is three points ahead of second place in Urguaguy. Now, given the top six automatically go through, the world champions are six points in front of sixth-place Paraguay, where the drama involving captain and most influential player Lionel Messi took place.

Lautaro Martinez had put the visitors in front before the Paraguayan comeback. Arnaldo Sanabria equalising before Omar Alderete’s go-ahead goal.

Messi was seen to be visibly angry at halftime as he confronted Brazilian referee Daronco and pointed his finger at the official to express his frustration. In a video released by SBS Sport, the Inter Miami star could be heard saying, “You’re a coward, I don’t like you!”

It has been a difficult month for the 37-year-old as Inter Miami were dumped out of the MLS Cup 2024 in the first round despite winning the Supports’ Shield (awarded to the best-performing team in the league phase).

The Herons took the lead in the three-game Round One fixture. However, Atlanta United beat them twice in seven days to prevent them from qualifying for the playoffs round. With their MLS journey ending, Messi will play one last time in a competitive fixture in 2024 on Wednesday as they take on Peru at home.

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