Cristiano Ronaldo will reportedly refuse to return to the Portuguese national team while manager Jorge Jesus remains in charge.
Jesus extended an olive branch to Ronaldo on Sunday night when he insisted he would be welcome back in the next international break – despite his furious walkout this time around.
Ronaldo was livid that he was left on the bench for their full match against Norway on September 27 – the first time that has happened in 18 years on Portugal duty.
That led to him skipping three training sessions and abandoning the camp for Portugal’s last two matches of the international break, jetting away via private jet.
But just when it looked as if the situation could be repaired, with the esteemed Jesus and multiple team-mates expressing their openness to Ronaldo’s return, Portuguese journalist Rui Santos says the superstar will not return while the manager remains in post.
‘He reportedly vented that he will not return to the national team, at least while Jorge Jesus is in technical command,’ Santos told CNN Portugal.
Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly said he will not return to the Portuguese national team while Jorge Jesus is in charge
Jesus is a highly respected manager, having won 25 trophies, and he has won all four of his games with Portugal so far
‘He is not satisfied in the slightest with the handling of this entire process. He was particularly outraged by the content of the statements made by Jorge Jesus, the head coach.
‘He has stopped believing and stopped trusting in contradictions between the expressed desire to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back, so he can still participate in the Nations League, but at the same time saying and fully emphasizing that “there are no apologies from anyone, I am not here to ask for apologies, I am the one who makes the squad selection” – and therefore an exercise of authority.
‘The narrative was one of inclusion, of including Cristiano Ronaldo, not of exclusion [but it hasn’t worked].’
Manager Jesus’s public comments have only ever been peaceful, but after the initial affront of being left to stew on the bench, Ronaldo has seen everything through a haze of red mist.
He did not even watch the most recent match of their Nations League campaign against Norway on Sunday because he was on his private jet with his family.
His stance puts Portugal in an awkward position. No doubt they want to appease their most legendary player, but equally, with the superstar aged 41, the view that he is a liability is becoming increasingly popular.
Jesus is a highly respected manager who has a better career win rate than Sir Alex Ferguson and has won 25 trophies. His start with Portugal has been perfect – four wins from four – after he was appointed on a four-year contract in July.
He was vindicated in leaving Ronaldo out of the first encounter against Norway as Portugal won 2-1. They then went and backed that up with further victories over Denmark and Norway again after Ronaldo had stormed off.
After leaving camp, Ronaldo said: ‘I will tell the truth to all Portuguese people about the reasons that motivated my departure’
Bruno Fernandes (right) has held clear-the-air talks with Ronaldo after the latter stormed out of the Portugal camp
Portugal boss Jesus insists he will have Ronaldo back if the forward wants to return
Ronaldo risks a six-month ban from Portugal duty for his conduct after he pledged to tell ‘the truth’ about the scandal one day – but Jesus insisted he is welcome back for the next international break in November.
The gaffer initially insisted in a press conference there was ‘no incident whatsoever’ and ‘nothing to make a fuss about’, even understanding Ronaldo’s frustrations at not being substituted on.
He then added after the most recent Norway clash: ‘As far as I’m concerned, everything is open. It’s up to Cris to decide his own life. In the next call-up, if Cris is playing and wants to be in the national team, why not?
‘Resentment? Nothing, it was a misunderstanding. In my opinion, it’s easy to resolve. When will I resolve it? I don’t know. The game is over, and only afterwards will we know how things will turn out.
‘It’s not up to me. To reach an agreement with two people, both people need to talk and agree. That’s not up to me.
‘Just because it was him, and perhaps rightly so because he’s a symbol, this whole problem of him coming on, warming up, not coming on. How many players warmed up today and didn’t come on? Will there be a problem? No.
‘With Cris it’s different, he’s a symbol. But is it a problem? For me it wasn’t a problem. If Cris wants to and is playing for Al-Nassr, he’ll be in the next squad. We talked before this squad and we can talk before the next one. It’s Cris who will decide.’
Ronaldo’s fiery withdrawal – months after a World Cup in which it was perceived that he held back Portugal – has been one of the dominant stories of the international break.
Georgina Rodriguez leapt the the defence of Ronaldo after his controversial walkout
Rodriguez and Ronaldo married in the summer after more than a decade together
He confirmed in a statement on Instagram that he had left the team’s camp because of comments made by manager Jesus in a press conference.
Ronaldo said: ‘After the national team coach’s press conference, and following a conversation with the President of the Portuguese Football Federation, I have decided to leave the national team training camp.
‘In due time, I will tell all Portuguese people the truth about the reasons that led to my departure from the national team, to which I have always dedicated myself.
‘Now is the time to wish good luck to Portugal and to all my teammates.’
