The greatest Portuguese footballer of all time stormed off in a huff, but Jorge Jesus isn’t ready to close the book just yet. Portugal’s new boss has extended an olive branch to Cristiano Ronaldo after the 41-year-old sensationally walked out on his national team.
“For me, Cris, in the next call-up, if he’s playing at Al-Nassr, he’ll be a player who can be called up,” Jesus told reporters on Sunday, leaving the door conspicuously ajar. “If he wants to, he’ll return to the national team.”
Also read: Ronaldo quits Portugal camp after being axed vs Denmark
It’s the diplomatic response to a situation that threatened to overshadow Portugal’s successful Nations League campaign, with the Seleção becoming the first team to book their quarter-final spot despite the off-field theatrics.
A question of legacy
“Cristiano should end his time in the national team the way he wants, he’s the one who will decide how he wants it,” Jesus stated. “That’s how we talked, the two of us, I said, ‘I need you’. In my first call-up, I said, ‘I need you, I need you to be close to me, playing or not playing, I need you’. And now I’m saying the same thing.”
It’s a delicate balancing act for Jesus, who replaced Roberto Martinez following the 2026 World Cup. How do you manage a player who is simultaneously your all-time leading scorer, most-capped player, and a global icon who has won everything there is to win in club football?
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United striker has hinted that this will “probably” be his final year in football, adding poignancy to every decision surrounding his involvement.
Portugal march on
Whilst the Ronaldo saga dominated headlines, Jesus’s side got on with the business at hand, dismantling Norway and securing their place in the Nations League quarter-finals with two group matches still to spare. It was a professional performance that suggested Portugal’s future might be brighter than some feared without their talisman leading the line.
The coach confirmed he’s willing to discuss Ronaldo’s situation before November’s next international window. “If he wants to, as we did before this call-up, we talked before the call-up, we can talk before the next call-up,” Jesus explained. “But Cris is the one who’s going to decide.”
The Messi footnote
In a curious twist of timing, Ronaldo’s international career drama unfolds as his long-time rival Lionel Messi prepares for his own final curtain call. The Argentine wizard will play his last match for the Albiceleste in a friendly against Benin in Buenos Aires on Tuesday, drawing the curtain on another era-defining international career.
For two players who have defined modern football’s greatest individual rivalry, the synchronicity of their potential international farewells feels almost scripted, though Ronaldo’s exit appears considerably messier than Messi’s.
The ball, quite literally, is in Ronaldo’s court. Does he swallow his pride, accept a diminished role, and attempt to end his Portugal career on better terms? Or has the proud warrior played his final match in the famous red shirt?
