Cristiano Ronaldo will reportedly not play for Portugal again unless Jorge Jesus leaves as manager
Cristiano Ronaldo will reportedly not return to play for Portugal’s national team if Jorge Jesus remains the manager, according to ESPN . Ronaldo left the team's camp last week after Jesus did not start the Portuguese star for its UEFA Nations League match against Denmark. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner started on the bench for the previous match against Norway, but while Jesus had told Ronaldo he would see action at some point he changed his mind due to the state of the game. Jesus acknowledged he was wrong to have Ronaldo warm up and not use him, but he did not apologize for telling the player he would likely be involved. The two reportedly agreed that Jesus, who replaced Roberto Martínez four days after Portugal was eliminated by eventual World Cup champion Spain in the Round of 16, would issue a public apology, but when that never occurred Ronaldo left the team. Following Portugal’s win on Sunday in their second match against Norway during this international window, Jesus said it is up to the 41-year-old Ronaldo if he wants to return to the team. "If he wants to, he'll return to the national team," said Jesus, who coached Ronaldo last season with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr. "We can talk before the next call-up, but Cris is the one who's going to decide. 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." After leaving the team, Ronaldo posted a message on social media saying that, "In due course, I will tell all Portuguese people the truth about the reasons that motivated my departure from the national team, to which I have always been dedicated.” Portugal's next international fixtures will come on Nov. 14 and 17 when they play Denmark and Wales in Nations League group play. Ronaldo has already returned to Al-Nassr as the club resumes its league schedule on Friday.
News Source : Yahoo Sports and Read the full article →





