I haven’t read Ronaldo’s statement yet, says Portugal coach

Portugal's coach, Jorge Jesus, revealed on Tuesday that he had not yet read Cristiano Ronaldo's public statement regarding their recent disagreement. Instead, Jesus was watching Portugal's under-21 team. This was reported by football expert Fabrizio Romano on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday. Jesus told reporters that he would have time to read the statement later.

The comments came shortly after Ronaldo, 41, published a detailed account of the events leading to his departure from the national team's training camp last week. In the statement, Ronaldo accused Jesus of breaking promises on two occasions. First, he claimed that Jesus had promised him around 30 minutes of playing time against Norway in the UEFA Nations League but then left him unused during an extended warm-up.

Second, Ronaldo alleged that Jesus failed to deliver agreed public clarifications during a subsequent press conference. Ronaldo also stated that they had previously discussed a plan to manage his minutes throughout the international window. Jesus explained that Ronaldo had presented a set of points during a private meeting involving federation officials, which he expected Jesus to address publicly, but these points were not reflected in Jesus's actual remarks.

Ronaldo apologized to teammates and fans for his departure and acknowledged the possibility of facing disciplinary action. He also left the door open for a potential return to the national team. Jesus, who assumed charge of Portugal following the 2026 World Cup and previously worked with Ronaldo at Al Nassr, has maintained that there was no fundamental crisis and that squad rules apply equally to all players. Portugal has remained unbeaten under Jesus in Nations League matches this autumn.