I haven’t read Ronaldo’s statement yet, says Portugal coach

Portugal coach, Jorge Jesus Photo: X

Portugal manager Jorge Jesus said late Tuesday that he had not read Cristiano Ronaldo’s lengthy public statement detailing their recent dispute, explaining that he was watching the Portugal under-21 team instead.

In a post by football expert, Fabrizio Romano on X on Wednesday, Jesus was quoted as saying, “I didn’t read Cristiano’s statement, I was watching Portugal U21 game,” Jesus told reporters. “I will now have time to read it.”

The comments came hours after Ronaldo, 41, published a detailed first-person account of the events that led him to leave the national-team training camp last week.

In the statement, the Al Nassr forward accused Jesus of breaking his word on two occasions: first by promising him roughly 30 minutes of playing time against Norway in the UEFA Nations League only to leave him unused after an extended warm-up, and second by failing to deliver agreed public clarifications at a subsequent press conference.

Ronaldo said the pair had previously discussed a plan to manage his minutes across the international window.

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He claimed a later private meeting involving federation officials produced a set of points Jesus was meant to address publicly, points that, according to the player, were not reflected in the coach’s actual remarks.

Ronaldo apologised to teammates and fans for the manner of his departure, accepted that he may face disciplinary action, and left the door open to a possible return.

Jesus, who took charge of Portugal after the 2026 World Cup and previously worked with Ronaldo at Al Nassr, has so far maintained that there was no fundamental crisis and that squad rules apply equally to all players.

Portugal remain unbeaten under the veteran coach in Nations League matches this autumn.

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