Khabib reacts to Ronaldo
Khabib reacts to Ronaldo's retirement - Source: Getty
Khabib Nurmagomedov has criticized the way Portugal handled the end of Cristiano Ronaldo’s international career, posting a pointed message on his Instagram Stories within hours of the forward’s retirement announcement.
Ronaldo, 41, signed off with 234 caps and a men’s record 146 goals across 23 years, having captained Portugal to Euro 2016 glory and the Nations League titles in 2019 and 2025.
The farewell came after a public split with head coach Jorge Jesus. Cristiano Ronaldo was left on the bench for the 2-1 win over Norway on September 27 and he walked out of the camp days later after publicly accusing Jesus of breaking his trust.
The Portuguese federation handed him a 30-day suspension and a €255 fine. While everybody, including Jesus, expected Cristiano Ronaldo to return to the national team, the star forward decided otherwise.
Khabib, the former UFC lightweight champion, wrote his message about Cristiano Ronaldo's retirement in Russian to his 45 million followers. It read:
"When you give it your all, you become obsolete.
"There are the best ones, and there are the best of the best. Ronaldo belongs among the best of the best. It’s hard to understand the mentality of giants like him.
"It’s hard to describe in words what he has done for football, just as it’s hard to describe how he’s been treated by the teams he gave his all to."
Notably, Cristiano Ronaldo and Khabib go back years. They met at a Real Madrid game in 2018, and Ronaldo backed him before his final fight, saying on Instagram Live:
"Of course, Khabib is going to win."
Khabib then submitted Justin Gaethje with a triangle choke in round two at UFC 254 and retired unbeaten at 29-0.
Bruno Fernandes and Neymar lead tributes to Cristiano Ronaldo
The warmest note for Ronaldo from inside the Portugal setup came from Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes. The midfielder called Ronaldo his childhood idol:
"Thank you for the inspiration. It was a privilege to share great moments for our team with my childhood idol."
Neymar posted “Legend”, Vinicius Junior wrote “Forever number 1” and Pepe added:
"It was more than just football. Thank you for everything, Cris."
Pedro Proença, the federation president, promised a tribute, saying:
"No tribute will ever be enough to thank him for everything he has done for Portuguese football, for Portugal."
Portugal host Denmark in Braga on November 14, then travel to Wales three days later to wrap up the group stages of their UEFA Nations League campaign.