Portugal coach Jorge Jesus has explained the circumstances surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence from the team’s Nations League victory over Norway and denied any dispute with the captain.
Speaking at a press conference in Copenhagen ahead of Wednesday’s Nations League meeting with Denmark, Jesus said Ronaldo’s omission from the matches against Norway and Denmark had been discussed in advance as part of a physical management plan. He said it is true that he discussed it with him and they created a plan just as they did with Bruno Fernandes and he told Cris that he would not play in the match against Norway or against Denmark.
Jesus said his previous year working with Ronaldo at Al Nassr meant he understood his physical condition and knew he rarely played every game when fixtures were close together. He added that Ronaldo had made clear he would accept whatever decision the coach took and never refused anything.
The coach said he had considered introducing Ronaldo late in the 2-1 win over Norway in Oslo on Sunday where Goncalo Ramos started and scored the winner but decided against it as the match developed. He said he was thinking of bringing him on perhaps for half an hour but the match told him otherwise and Goncalo Ramos was putting in a good performance and scored a goal.
Jesus rejected reports of a training crisis, saying Ronaldo not training with the main group for two days was routine and involved mobility and strengthening work at the team hotel similar to recovery protocols for other players. He said there was no incident after the Norway game when Ronaldo headed straight down the tunnel after remaining an unused substitute, noting that any player who warms up for 20 or 30 minutes and does not get on is not happy.
He stressed that status does not influence his decisions and that the objective remains what is best for the team, saying Cristiano is not the main reason he is here and the main reason is Denmark. He also limited questions on Ronaldo, saying one question is too few and three are too many.
Ronaldo later announced on Instagram that following the national team manager’s press conference and after a conversation with the President of the Portuguese Football Federation he had decided to leave the training camp, adding that in due course he would tell the truth to all the Portuguese people about his reasons for leaving the national team to which he has always been dedicated.
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