In Copenhagen, where Portugal are preparing for Thursday’s meeting with Denmark, Jorge Jesus has sought to steady a difficult day around Cristiano Ronaldo. The captain left Parken Stadium without taking part in training after being named among the substitutes for the 2-1 win over Norway, and the Portugal coach later acknowledged that the 40-year-old was unhappy with the decision not to use him.
A plan revisited after Norway
Jesus initially insisted there was no dispute in the Portugal camp, but gave a more nuanced account in later interviews. He said Ronaldo had been prepared to contribute when required, even though the coach had altered the way he intended to manage the forward across this international window.
- Ronaldo started Jesus’s first match in charge, the win over Wales.
- He remained an unused substitute against Norway, despite warming up during the second half.
- Portugal have won both of Jesus’s first two matches at the helm.
- Denmark are next, with Thursday’s match representing the coach’s third fixture in charge.
Jesus said an earlier arrangement had been made with Ronaldo after the opening game, under which he would play the following two matches. But the coach decided instead that the forward could be held back and used only if the contest demanded him.
“The plan was drawn up by both of us,” Jesus explained. “After the first game he played, the idea was for him to play the next two. Then I felt he could help the team when it was useful, and he made himself available.”
The coach said the Norway match developed in a way that removed the need for Ronaldo’s introduction. He had considered bringing him on late, despite their previous discussions, but concluded that the game did not call for it.
“No player anywhere is happy to warm up and then not get on,” Jesus said. “He was not pleased with my decision. I made it as coach, thinking about the team.”
Physical management and equal rules
Jesus also described a separate pre-window conversation in which he had told Ronaldo that he would not play against either Norway or Denmark, citing his detailed knowledge of the forward from their year together at Al-Nassr. The coach’s comments therefore indicated that the original plan had been reassessed as the matches approached.
He pointed to the routines he had overseen in Saudi Arabia, particularly during demanding sequences of fixtures.
- Jesus said Ronaldo rarely played when matches came every three days during their time at Al-Nassr.
- He added that Ronaldo does not train on either the first or second day after a match.
- The coach said the player’s physical condition is familiar to him from their work together.
For Denmark, however, Jesus stopped short of ruling Ronaldo out. His involvement will be decided by the shape of the match. “If I need him, he will come on. If I do not need him, he will not,” the coach said.
Jesus stressed that Ronaldo’s standing does not place him outside the same standards applied across the squad. “Status is one thing; the rules are the same for everyone,” he said.
Training departure and the captain’s response
The tension became more visible on Wednesday when Ronaldo arrived at Parken with the rest of the Portugal group but departed before the scheduled session. Jesus subsequently led the training exercise, with Portuguese media allowed to observe its opening minutes.
Asked whether Ronaldo’s frustration would fade, Jesus said he regarded the matter as settled from his own perspective. “For me, it is over,” he said. “I have no idea, but I think it will pass.”
The coach rejected any suggestion that Ronaldo had defied the staff or declined to accept a role from the bench. He recalled the player’s response when the issue was discussed: “If it is to play, if it is to stay on the bench, I will stay. Whatever the coach wants.”
Jesus said Ronaldo had never refused an instruction. At his press conference, he tried to keep attention on Denmark, noting that he is responsible for a 23-man group rather than one individual. He limited questions on the captain to two, saying the forthcoming opponent and Portugal’s wider task were the reason for the gathering.
