Porto will provide Jorge Jesus with his first direct reading from Portugal’s supporters since Cristiano Ronaldo walked away from the national squad, when the team face Norway at the Estádio do Dragão on Sunday. The coach has sought to lower the temperature around the dispute, insisting that Ronaldo remains central to the country’s football identity even as Portugal try to preserve their perfect Nations League start.
A difficult return in Porto
The match arrives after an unsettled week for the Portuguese camp. Ronaldo, now 41, left the squad last Wednesday, on the eve of the trip to Copenhagen, after being unhappy at not featuring in Portugal’s 2-1 win over Norway in Oslo and believing he would again begin among the substitutes against Denmark.
Portugal responded without their veteran forward by beating Denmark 4-2, a result that kept them top of Nations League Group A4 with three victories from three matches.
- Portugal beat Norway 2-1 in Oslo, with Ronaldo unused.
- Ronaldo departed the squad before the Denmark match in Copenhagen.
- Portugal defeated Denmark 4-2 without him.
- The team lead Group A4 on nine points from nine.
Attention now shifts back to Porto, where the crowd’s reaction to Jesus will be closely watched after the rupture with the country’s most recognisable player.
Jesus extends an olive branch
Speaking before the Norway game, Jesus repeatedly redirected questions towards the team and the need to reconnect with the public through the performance on the pitch. Yet he also made clear that he was not dismissing Ronaldo’s significance.
“The priority must be the national team, the match against Norway and doing what we need to do well, together with our people,” Jesus said. “But that does not mean I overlook Cris. He is a symbol of Portugal’s team and a symbol of Portugal. That should be absolutely clear. There will be time to discuss the rest after the match.”
The Portuguese Football Federation is working towards a meeting between the coach and Ronaldo as it tries to restore calm after the player’s departure.
The coach asks for support for the shirt
Jesus did not present Sunday as a personal referendum. Asked what welcome he expected at the Dragão, he said the backing he wanted was for the side rather than for its manager.
He explained that, before becoming a coach, he experienced international football as a supporter focused on the national flag rather than on any individual in the dugout or on the field.
That appeal gives the Norway fixture two purposes: Portugal can strengthen their position in the Nations League, while Jesus hopes the occasion in Porto can begin to move the discussion away from a dispute with Ronaldo and back towards the collective shirt.
