Photo: instagram.com/cristiano
Cristiano Ronaldo has given his first detailed account of the dispute with Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus, saying the manager broke his word twice and that the situation led him to leave the national team’s training camp.
Ronaldo said he initially welcomed Jesus’s appointment and even backed his candidacy in a conversation with Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proença. During their first meeting, Jesus told him that he considered the forward important to the team and proposed a plan for managing his playing time during the Nations League.
Under the original plan, Ronaldo was expected to play in the first and final matches while missing the games in Norway and Denmark. Ronaldo rejected that proposal because he felt that, as captain, he could not remain in Portugal while the team traveled for away matches. The sides subsequently agreed on a different arrangement, and Ronaldo played against Wales.
The dispute escalated before the match against Norway. Ronaldo said an assistant told him that Jesus wanted to speak with him, and the coach then asked whether he was ready to play around 30 minutes. Ronaldo agreed.
“He replied that I had to be ready because I would play 30 minutes,” Ronaldo said.
However, Ronaldo remained on the bench throughout Portugal’s match against Norway despite warming up during the second half. After the game, he acknowledged that he had made a mistake by not greeting the fans, but said he did not want to prolong the dispute.
Forty-eight hours later, Ronaldo, Jesus and Al-Nassr sporting director Simão Coutinho held what Ronaldo described as an open discussion. According to Ronaldo, the sides agreed that Jesus would publicly explain the situation and acknowledge that he had proposed the original playing-time arrangement. Ronaldo also said Jesus agreed that asking him to warm up and then not bringing him onto the pitch had been a mistake.
Ronaldo said Jesus agreed to those terms but later gave a different account at a press conference.
“This was already the second time that he had not kept his word to me,” Ronaldo said.
The forward said he then decided to leave Portugal’s training camp rather than wait for what he described as another broken promise.
Jesus has disputed Ronaldo’s account and denied that such an agreement existed. The Portuguese Football Federation has not publicly confirmed Ronaldo’s version of the events.
Ronaldo does not rule out returning to Portugal
Despite the dispute, Ronaldo made clear that he has not retired from international football. He said he remains available for Portugal as long as he is fit and performing at club level, and that he is prepared to accept any disciplinary action for leaving the camp.
The forward also apologized for his conduct and acknowledged that, as captain, he had a responsibility to handle the situation differently.
Ronaldo said he could eventually have one or more farewell matches for Portugal, but stressed that his immediate objective remains to compete and win with the national team.
“This, believe me, is the purest truth,” he said.
