In Lisbon, Portugal’s latest international window has left an awkward silence around its most familiar figure. Cristiano Ronaldo, now 41, has stepped away from the national side and is not prepared to return while Jorge Jesus remains in charge, deepening a dispute that has emerged with startling speed between the captain and the coach.
Ronaldo has accumulated 234 Portugal appearances and 146 goals, but his international future is now uncertain. He left the squad after being unused in the match against Norway, despite spending close to half an hour warming up, and travelled back to Saudi Arabia to resume work with Al Nassr before their next fixture against Al Draih.
Jorge Jesus had publicly attempted to cool the situation after Sunday’s Norway match. The Portugal coach said Ronaldo remained welcome if he was still playing and wished to represent his country, describing the episode as a misunderstanding that he believed could be resolved without great difficulty. Ronaldo’s position, however, is understood to be firmer: he will not rejoin the squad under the current manager.
A rapid breakdown after the Al Nassr connection
The tension is particularly notable because Jesus arrived with an existing link to Ronaldo. The pair had worked together at Al Nassr, and the coach’s appointment to replace Roberto Martínez was initially viewed as compatible with the forward’s continued presence in the Portugal set-up. Within days, that expectation has unravelled.
Portugal have continued successfully without their record scorer. After his departure, the team won 4-2 in Denmark and then beat Norway 2-1, completing the international break with four victories and first place in their Nations League group. Those results also marked the beginning of Jesus’s reign with a perfect run.
Ronaldo has said on social media that he will explain his side of the matter later, though no fuller statement has yet followed. The next international gathering, in November, will bring the question back into view: whether Portugal’s long-serving forward can return without a change in the dugout, or whether the separation between Ronaldo and Jesus will continue.
