Cristiano Ronaldo Reveals the Full Story and Opens Up About a Potential Return with Portugal: "Here's What Happened with Jorge Jesus"

"As promised, I decided to tell, in my own words and directly, the circumstances that marked the final phase of the selection process." This is how Cristiano Ronaldo's lengthy letter begins, addressing the Jorge Jesus situation. The controversy erupted when CR7 remained on the bench for the entire Nations League match against Norway. Instead of celebrating with his teammates, Ronaldo went directly to the locker room, subsequently skipping training sessions. This prompted Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proença to urgently fly to Copenhagen. On the eve of the match against Denmark, Jesus announced at a press conference that Gonçalo Ramos would start. Ronaldo left the stadium alone while his teammates trained, abandoning the camp. Public opinion largely sided with CR7, with banners in Lisbon accusing the coach of lacking sensitivity in handling the captain, who has now explained the full situation.

Ronaldo Details the Jorge Jesus Controversy

Ronaldo revealed he had a letter ready to be made public upon his departure from the Portuguese national team: "After the 2026 World Cup, I prepared a letter for the Portuguese people, which I still keep, with the words I want to address to them when I definitively leave our team." CR7 wrote everything after the team's elimination in the World Cup Round of 16 against Spain. "At the end of the competition, on the flight back from the United States, the Federation President asked me and insisted that I reconsider my decision to leave, because the FPF wanted me to stay." Ronaldo also admits he was consulted on the successor to Martinez for the Portugal coaching position: "Shortly after, he asked for my opinion on the current coach, whom he was considering, along with other names he did not reveal to me. I told the Federation President that, in my opinion, it would be the right choice. Therefore, on the day the current coach was presented, I was genuinely happy with the choice. It was the right decision, as the results show."

"I Wanted Jorge Jesus for Portugal; He Told Me I Was Crucial"

Cristiano Ronaldo consistently approved of Jorge Jesus's selection, who knew him well from their time together at Al Nassr: "A few days later, I received the first call from the new national team coach, who said he would like to meet me in person. I accepted, and we set the meeting for the end of my vacation. We met at the City of Football, where my team was conducting its pre-season training camp." A notable detail throughout Ronaldo's extensive letter is his consistent failure to name the coach, Jorge Jesus, directly: "That day, the coach told me he was counting on me and that my presence was fundamental to his project. He immediately presented me with a plan for my participation. He said I would play the first and last matches, and for physical management reasons, he would always make three or four substitutions per game." Therefore, according to the plan Ronaldo revealed, he was supposed to play the Nations League matches against Wales and Norway, missing the away game against Haaland's team and the match against Denmark.

The Plan Between Jorge Jesus and Ronaldo for the Nations League

Ronaldo continues his account: "At that time, he suggested I not travel with the national team to Norway and Denmark. He proposed that I play the first game and stay in Portugal, then rejoin the team before the match in Porto. I immediately refused this offer. It seemed obvious to me that I could not accept it. Not playing in the away games did not mean I would stop being the captain of our team. This privilege of staying in Portugal would not set a good example. The coach eventually agreed with my analysis." At this point in the letter, Simão Coutinho, Al Nassr's sporting director since July 2025, enters the narrative: "Simão Coutinho, Al Nassr's sporting director, the person the current coach referred to last season and one of those responsible for his hiring by the club in 2025, was present at this conversation. On the eve of the training camp, the coach came to my house in Lisbon for another meeting, at his request."