Jorge Jesus dismisses Cristiano Ronaldo dispute as ‘an issue that never existed’

Jorge Jesus has denied there is any rift between himself and Cristiano Ronaldo, describing reports of tension within Portugal’s camp as “an issue that never existed”.

The Portugal manager was speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, ahead of Thursday’s Nations League meeting with Denmark in the third round of the competition.

“There has been so much talk about this in Portugal that I do not understand what is happening,” Jesus said. “But there was never anything to discuss.”

He said the media speculation had effectively forced him to speak to Ronaldo about a situation that did not exist.

“I told Cristiano: ‘There is a lot being said about this in Portugal,’” Jesus added. “Cristiano replied: ‘I am here for you to decide. If you want me to play, I will play. If you do not want me to play, I will not play. If you want me in the stands, I will go to the stands.’”

Jesus said the matter had already been settled between them.

“We had discussed everything after dinner,” he said. “There was not even a problem.”

Ronaldo did not refuse to train

The comments followed reports that Ronaldo was angry after being left out of Portugal’s 2-1 victory over Norway on Sunday in the second round of the Nations League.

Ronaldo did not feature in the match, including as a substitute, and also did not train with his team-mates on Monday or Tuesday. Jesus had said before the game that he intended to use the forward, although he was unlikely to name him in the starting line-up.

After the final whistle in Oslo, Ronaldo went straight from the substitutes’ bench to the tunnel instead of joining the Portugal players in applauding the Portuguese supporters who had travelled to the match.

Jesus rejected suggestions that the Al-Nassr forward had refused to train.

“No, he did not refuse to train,” he said. “Cristiano worked in the gym, completed mobility exercises on the pitch and then did muscle-strengthening work at the hotel.”

“That is exactly what happened. He will train today, so come and watch the session and you will see him.

“And I am not talking only about Cristiano. Do you really think a player can refuse to train while with the national team? Not only in Portugal, but in any national team. That is what I wanted to make clear.”

Jesus’ remarks came amid widespread discussion in Portugal about Ronaldo’s absence against Norway and his visible departure from the field area at full-time. The manager insisted, however, that the circumstances had been misrepresented and that there was no disagreement between the Portugal coaching staff and their captain.