CRISTIANO RONALDO will reportedly refuse to return to the Portugal squad while Jorge Jesus remains in charge.
The explosive claim comes after the 41-year-old superstar walked out of the national team camp following his benching against Norway.
Ronaldo was an unused substitute in Portugal’s 2-1 win on September 27, the first time in 18 years he had failed to get on the pitch while available for his country.
He subsequently missed three training sessions before leaving camp and sitting out Portugal’s final two games of the international break.
Jesus has since opened the door for Ronaldo to return next month, insisting the Al-Nassr striker would be welcomed back into the fold.
But Portuguese journalist Rui Santos claims Ronaldo has lost faith in the manager and has no intention of playing under him again.
Santos told CNN Portugal: “He reportedly vented that he will not return to the national team, at least while Jorge Jesus is in technical command.
“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.”
Ronaldo is said to have been particularly frustrated by what he viewed as mixed messages from Jesus, who spoke about welcoming him back while also stressing that team selection was his decision and insisting that he had nothing to apologise for.
The Portugal skipper has yet to publicly reveal exactly what caused him to leave the latest international camp, although he vowed to tell supporters “the truth” about his decision “in due time”.
He instead wished his team-mates good luck before flying home with his family on a private jet to Madrid, where he stayed for days before heading to his base in Saudi Arabia.
The extraordinary stand-off has now raised fresh questions over whether Ronaldo, Portugal’s record goalscorer and most-capped player, will represent his country again.
Portugal have won all four matches since Jesus took charge on a four-year contract in July, including victories over Norway and Denmark following Ronaldo’s departure from camp. —The Sun
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