Portugal’s 4-2 Nations League victory over Denmark did not quiet the debate around Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from the national-team camp, with several prominent former players rallying publicly behind the forward and questioning Jorge Jesus’s handling of the episode.
Ronaldo leaves before Denmark win
Ronaldo left Portugal’s training base after Jorge Jesus told him that he would begin the Denmark match among the substitutes. The 40-year-old later confirmed that he had chosen to leave the squad.
Portugal went on to beat Denmark 4-2 in the third round of the UEFA Nations League without their No. 7, but the result was followed by criticism of the manager and renewed discussion of Ronaldo’s standing within the side.
- Jorge Jesus informed Ronaldo that he would not start against Denmark.
- Ronaldo subsequently departed the Portugal camp.
- Portugal defeated Denmark 4-2 without him.
- Thierry Henry, Rio Ferdinand and Arturo Vidal each defended Ronaldo’s wider legacy.
Ferdinand points to Portugal’s transformation
Ferdinand, Ronaldo’s former Manchester United teammate, argued that the forward’s contribution to Portuguese football should not be reduced to the previous few years. The pair played together at Old Trafford from 2003 to 2009, winning the 2007-08 Champions League as well as three successive English league titles.
The former England defender said critics should remember what Portugal had achieved before Ronaldo’s era, suggesting that the country’s ability to reach major tournament finals and compete for trophies changed dramatically during his international career.
Ferdinand also urged observers to take in the full scale of Ronaldo’s club record, highlighting his spells at Juventus, Real Madrid and Manchester United. In his view, those chapters amount to “three world-class careers in one”.
Henry and Vidal reject career-defining judgement
Henry made a similar case while appearing on the RMC programme Rothen s’enflamme. The former France striker said Portugal must resolve its own internal dispute, but insisted that one selection controversy should never become the lens through which Ronaldo’s entire career is assessed.
Vidal’s response was more forceful. The Chile midfielder described Ronaldo’s exit from the squad as shameful, arguing that a player he places among football’s four greatest should not have left the international set-up in such circumstances.
Vidal’s criticism of Jorge Jesus
The former Flamengo player said Portugal’s coach had failed in his duty to look after Ronaldo. Vidal argued that the forward deserved protection because of what he has given the national side and because he helped establish Portugal among the strongest teams in world football.
- Henry said the incident would not alter how he remembers Ronaldo’s career.
- Vidal said Ronaldo had earned the right to make his own decision.
- The Chilean added that some managers do not show sufficient respect for players of Ronaldo’s stature.
For Portugal, the immediate football outcome was a high-scoring win over Denmark. Yet the separation between Ronaldo and the camp has brought an uncomfortable international spotlight to Jorge Jesus’s selection decision and to the treatment of one of the country’s defining players.
