Former federation president urges Ronaldo to show humility

A former president of the Portuguese Federation has criticised Ronaldo and urged him to show humility. In an interview with Renascença radio, Madaíl also said Ronaldo should recognise the federation’s role in his career and in his rise to his current status.

Madaíl also reproached Jesus for going too far. In his view, Ronaldo should have taken into account that his participation in certain matches had been agreed in advance. He also said that « there was absolutely no reason for this crisis to erupt within the national team ».

The tension followed Ronaldo’s departure from the national team camp. Ronaldo had declined to explain his reasons, saying the details would be revealed « at the appropriate time ». About a week after his departure, speculation about his future with the « Brazil of Europe » increased, while press reports described a growing crisis between him and Jesus.

The federation sought to play down the crisis: its president called what happened a « misunderstanding », while Jesus denied that any « incident » had taken place within the national team. Ronaldo, meanwhile, is reportedly furious about how the situation has been handled and could never return to the national team while Jesus remains in charge of the technical staff.

The crisis is mainly about the relationship between Ronaldo and Jesus. It followed a match against Norway in which Jesus left Ronaldo on the bench despite an warm-up lasting close to half an hour.