The very best know when to vacate the stage -- "Leave them wanting more" is the old maxim -- but as Cristiano Ronaldo brings the curtain down on his international career and retires from the Portugal national team, he does so having made the mistake of giving the audience too much. It is why his final years in a Portugal shirt were accompanied by mockery and ridicule, rather than the affection and respect afforded to Lionel Messi with Argentina.

In his final years, Ronaldo was regarded by many as a hindrance to Roberto Martinez's team rather than an asset, a player whose age -- he played this summer's World Cup as a 41-year-old -- and lack of work rate diminished Portugal's hopes instead of helping them.

All of that is true and it is why Jorge Jesus, Martinez's successor as Portugal coach, triggered Ronaldo's decision to quit the international scene.…