Romario says Cristiano Ronaldo should have confronted Jorge Jesus sooner

Romario believes Cristiano Ronaldo should have told Jorge Jesus earlier what he thought of him. “His mistake wasn’t leaving. His mistake was not telling that guy to go to hell sooner,” he said, while also defending Cristiano’s departure from Portugal’s camp. The crisis between the player and Jorge Jesus continues to draw reactions across the football world.

Speaking on the Charla Podcast, the former 1994 world champion with Brazil said he understood Cristiano’s decision if events unfolded as the player described them. “Cristiano strikes me as a very objective person,” he said. Romario also discussed his own relationship with Jorge Jesus, whom he knew when Jesus coached Flamengo: he said they met five or six times and described him as a wonderful person.

Romario was unequivocal about what he saw as the source of the conflict. In Cristiano’s account, the coach had not kept his word; if events happened as the player said, Romario argued, Cristiano was right to view that conduct as bad faith. He also defended the departure: “They say he left the national team. Of course. He has already suffered humiliation once. Why should he go through it a second time?”

In the account Romario recounted, some points had been agreed for the press conference, but nothing was said. Ronaldo was reportedly arrogant and left Cristiano exposed. Romario said the situation had pushed the Portuguese player to his limit: he felt discredited and irrelevant. “In those circumstances, I would have done exactly the same,” he said, adding that he would have slammed the door before leaving.