Cristiano Ronaldo sets out his account of the disagreement with Jorge Jesús

Cristiano Ronaldo has spoken about his disagreement with Jorge Jesús. “This is the truth about what happened with Jorge Jesús,” he says in his statement. The intervention comes one week after he left Portugal’s camp in Copenhagen on the eve of a Nations League match against Denmark, following a press conference by the coach. Ronaldo says they had already disagreed in the days before.

Ronaldo’s account first revisits discussions about his role with the national team. At the end of the competition, on the flight back from the United States, the federation president repeatedly asked him to reconsider his decision to leave because the FPF wanted him to continue. The president then sought his view on the choice of coach while considering several options, without disclosing the other names. Ronaldo says he told him it was the right choice in his opinion.

A few days later, the new coach made initial contact and said he wanted to meet in person. The two met at Cidade do Futebol, where Ronaldo’s club was holding its pre-season camp. The coach told him he was counting on him and that his presence was fundamental to the project, Ronaldo says. He also told him he would play the first and last matches, with three or four substitutions per match for physical management.

Ronaldo says they also discussed the possibility of him not travelling with the team to Norway and Denmark: he would play the first match, remain in Portugal, then rejoin the squad before the game at the Dragão. He felt that such preferential treatment would set a poor example, and says the coach eventually agreed with his assessment.

His account of the episode in Norway adds another perspective. On matchday, while focused on his physical recovery and expecting not to play, an assistant came over to say the coach wanted to speak with him. Ronaldo says he was told to be ready to play 30 minutes. After the match, he wanted only for the team to win and to be alone. He says he never asked for playing time and considers it a mistake to have sent him out to warm up without bringing him on. He also says he heard aggression that he did not believe he deserved.

Ronaldo also recalls handing the captain’s armband to Bruno Fernandes himself, without imagining that these might be his final steps as a player and captain of the national team. He says he wants to clarify these points before discussing Denmark.