Cristiano Ronaldo has just lived through an extraordinary 24 hours. The Al-Nassr captain found himself at the centre of pivotal moments in his own career and in that of his traditional rival, Lionel Messi.
Messi played his final match for Argentina in the early hours of Wednesday before retiring from international football. He led the Tango dancers to a clean 3-0 win over Benin, scoring from the penalty spot.
Hours before kick-off, Ronaldo took fans by surprise. He published a statement on his official Instagram account lifting the lid on his dispute with Portugal coach Jorge Jesus.
The row had erupted the previous week, when Ronaldo walked out of the Portugal camp in Denmark after Jesus refused to field him against Norway in the second round of the UEFA Nations League group stage.
What stood out most was the tone. The Portuguese star issued three separate apologies, each directed at a different party, over his conduct during the fallout with his coach.
First came an apology to the Portugal fans who had been at the Norway match. Ronaldo had left the pitch without going over to greet them, and he admitted that should never have happened no matter how furious he was at Jesus breaking his promise to play him.
The Don also apologised to his national team-mates and to the Portuguese people for leaving the camp of the "Brazil of Europe" in Denmark without permission, asking the federation to hand him the appropriate punishment.
Such successive apologies looked strange from a man who had rarely done anything like it across his long career.
Roughly 24 hours later, Ronaldo offered another glimpse of a softer side. He sent a farewell message to Messi following the Argentine's international retirement, expressing his respect for everything he had achieved with his country.
"Leo, many years you spent defending your country, and you left a legacy that history will immortalise," the Madeira Rocket wrote on Instagram. "I hold you in great respect for what you achieved with Argentina, with my best wishes."
Football fans around the world lapped it up. The message captured exactly what the relationship between two of the greatest players in history, if not the greatest of all time, should look like.