Paris hosts France’s final Nations League assignment of the international window on Monday, with Zinedine Zidane’s unbeaten side preparing to meet Belgium while attention elsewhere has turned to Cristiano Ronaldo’s sudden departure from Portugal duty.
Key takeaways
- Zidane’s France have recorded two wins and one draw since he took charge after the World Cup.
- France face Belgium in Paris on Monday at 15:45 Brasília time.
- The French coach worked with Ronaldo at Real Madrid from 2016 to 2018 and praised his former forward’s career.
- Ronaldo left Portugal’s squad after tensions surrounding his non-use against Norway and Jorge Jesus’s public comments.
- Gonçalo Ramos started Portugal’s win in Norway and scored the decisive goal.
Zidane salutes a former Madrid talisman
Speaking on Sunday, the eve of the Belgium match, Zidane declined to enter the dispute between Ronaldo and Portugal coach Jorge Jesus. He instead reflected on the player he coached across two trophy-laden seasons in Madrid.
“His career deserves recognition,” Zidane said. “I was fortunate to coach him, and he helped me win many trophies. I take my hat off to Cristiano. I have always had great respect for those with whom I have shared my time.”
The former Real Madrid manager took over France following the World Cup and has not yet lost, collecting seven points from three Nations League fixtures. Belgium provide the final test of this international break in the French capital.
A Portugal camp unravels after Norway
The strain around Portugal emerged quickly under Jorge Jesus, despite an initially cordial start. Ronaldo began the Nations League opener against Wales, Jesus’s first game in charge, and played 67 minutes. A day earlier, sitting alongside the captain at a media conference, the coach had described him as a national symbol while stressing that selection decisions belonged to the technical staff.
The pair had previously spent a year together at Al-Nassr, but the atmosphere shifted during Portugal’s away meeting with Norway. Ronaldo was named among the substitutes as Gonçalo Ramos took the centre-forward role, a possibility Jesus had already signalled.
Portugal’s captain joined the other substitutes to warm up shortly after half-time, yet never entered the match. Ramos scored the goal that secured victory, while Ronaldo walked away promptly at the final whistle, visibly unhappy.
His absence from Tuesday’s training session intensified speculation in Portugal. The president of the Portuguese Football Federation visited the team’s base on Wednesday to help settle the matter, meeting both Jesus and Ronaldo; the discussions were reported to have gone well.
But the issue returned at Jesus’s subsequent press conference. He had intended to limit questions about Ronaldo to two, but faced six on the captain, the Norway game and their relationship. The coach showed frustration at points but addressed each question.
Jesus rejected the suggestion of a conflict, saying there was no “case” between himself and Ronaldo. He explained that he had envisaged using the forward for between 20 and 30 minutes in Norway, but that the match altered his plan. His only acknowledged error, he said, was sending Ronaldo out to warm up immediately after the interval.
The coach nevertheless underlined that Ronaldo’s stature does not override managerial authority over team selection. He also indicated that Ramos was due to start again.
Shortly after the press conference, Ronaldo departed Parken Stadium before training began. In a social-media statement, he said he was leaving the national-team camp and would speak later about the episode. His exit came as a surprise after Jesus had said Ronaldo would train as usual, and it has left fresh uncertainty over the forward’s immediate future with Portugal.
