On a night where one football legend received a grand farewell from his country, about 6,000 miles away, another released a lengthy statement discussing all the ways in which he had been wronged by his national team coach.
Argentina great Lionel Messi took the adulation of the crowd in Buenos Aires as his glittering international career ended with a goal against Benin. Meanwhile, Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo released a statement on social media, accusing manager Jorge Jesus of an "absolute breach of trust" while admitting he should be held accountable for his own actions.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward left his country's Nations League camp last week after being an unused substitute against Norway and then finding out he would not start against Denmark. Portuguese journalist Jose Delgado says "things will never be the same again" for Ronaldo and Portugal.
At 41 years old, Ronaldo is not the dynamic player he once was. Ronaldo has scored 146 goals in 234 Portugal appearances - both world records - helping them win Euro 2016 and the Nations League twice. It seems unlikely that Ronaldo will voluntarily end his international career.
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing