Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Jorge Jesus insisted there is no rift between himself and Cristiano Ronaldo after the 41-year-old was an unused substitute against Norway in the Nations League.
Ronaldo featured from the start in Portugal’s 1-0 win over Wales, though he was taken off in the 67th minute and replaced by Goncalo Ramos.
Jesus had stated before the 2-1 win against Norway that he planned for Ronaldo to participate, but he did not bring him on during the victory, with Portugal’s captain then training away from his team-mates on Monday and Tuesday.
Media reports suggested there had been a “crisis” meeting between Jesus, Ronaldo and the Portugal Football Federation (FPF) president Pedro Proenca to clear the air.
But at a press conference ahead of Portugal’s clash with Denmark on Thursday, Jesus, who also managed Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, insisted there were no issues between the pair.
“I don’t have one player; I have 23 players,” Jesus said.
“Regarding Ronaldo, let me ask two questions; I won’t answer any more. The main thing is Denmark.
“It’s true that I made an agreement with him, just like I made a plan with Bruno Fernandes. I told Cris that he wouldn’t play in the games in Norway and Denmark.
“I know his physical condition well; I was with him in Saudi Arabia. In games every three days, he rarely played. He never trained on the first and second days after the games.
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) September 29, 2026
“I agreed with him. That’s what happened. I don’t go to the bench thinking that, at the 60th minute, I’m going to take Carlos Daniel off. That’s not how I am on the bench.
“The game dictates what I’m going to do. I agreed that he wouldn’t play, but I might also need him in the final minutes… If the game required it.
“I worked with Cris for a year. It seems like there’s already something going on between me and him. Don’t make a big deal out of it; there’s nothing going on. It was the same plan with Bruno Fernandes.
“Status is one thing; the rules are another.”
Asked again about the friction between the pair, Jesus added: “Any player who warms up and then doesn’t come on – no one is happy.
“Much less Cris, Pele, [Diego] Maradona. ‘Warm up for thirty minutes, me?’ Then, as the coach, I decided they weren’t included.”
Portugal are looking to continue their perfect start to the Nations League in Copenhagen, having taken six points so far to sit top of Group A4.
Denmark, meanwhile, are third, having followed up a 3-2 defeat to Norway with a 2-0 victory over Wales last time out.
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