RONALDO QUITS PORTUGAL AFTER SITTING ON A BENCH FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 18 YEARS

Cristiano Ronaldo retired from international football on Thursday at 41, closing out 23 years, 234 caps and 146 goals for Portugal. The trigger was a bench. New manager Jorge Jesus left him an unused sub for the full 90 minutes of a 2-1 win at Norway on Sept. 27, the first time in 18 years Ronaldo sat out a competitive international. Gonçalo Ramos started in his place and scored the winner in the 54th minute. Jesus had agreed beforehand to bring him on for the last half hour and then didn't, explaining afterward that the game dictated other things. Ronaldo skipped the walk over to the traveling fans in Oslo and went straight down the tunnel, then left camp on Oct. 1 ahead of the Denmark match and flew home. The federation handed him a 30-day suspension and a fine of 255 euros. Forbes has him as the first athlete to clear $2 billion in career earnings, so that one really taught him something. The detail that makes it: Jesus coached Ronaldo at Al Nassr and got there partly because Ronaldo wanted him. "Without his invitation, I certainly wouldn't be there," Jesus said at the time. Ronaldo announced the retirement in a five-minute video about handing back the No. 7 shirt, one day before Jesus named his squad for Denmark and Wales. Jesus went with "This is all his decision" and "I asked him to stay." He keeps playing for Al-Nassr, 15 goals short of 1,000.

Why you should give a shit: Portugal just gave up the leading scorer in men's international history to get a team sheet nobody has to negotiate, which means every result from here belongs to Jorge Jesus and nobody else.