Portugal FA chief says Cristiano Ronaldo remains central to national team

Pedro Proenca has broken his silence on the disagreement involving Cristiano Ronaldo and manager Jorge Jesus, insisting the Portugal captain remains part of the national team while he retains the required sporting level.

Speaking after Portugal’s 2-1 win over Norway, their fourth and final match of the international window, Proenca first praised the team’s latest run of results.

“I am extremely satisfied with this new cycle: a new manager, new methods, and the results speak for themselves,” he said, according to A Bola. “It has been 14 days of hard work with 25 top-class players and a new coaching staff. We are the first team to qualify for the quarter-finals.”

Proenca said the team’s performances had restored confidence among the Portuguese public.

“What we feel today is that the Portuguese people have regained their faith in our national team,” he added. “That is the result of this new coaching staff. Portuguese football has everything it needs to win, because we have exceptional generations.

“That was what we promised – to restore confidence – and it has happened in only 14 days of work with 25 players who already knew one another and all have great ability. Four wins in four matches against very strong teams.”

Ronaldo’s position

Proenca declined to explain the details of the issue involving Ronaldo and Jesus, saying such matters should remain within the football department.

“I will not give those explanations. These are completely normal conversations between managers and players,” he said. “It is a technical area, and the president of the federation does not interfere in such matters.”

He described Ronaldo as “the greatest player of all time” and said the forward, who has devoted more than two decades to Portuguese football, was now “the greatest symbol of Portuguese identity”.

“He is in the national team on sporting merit, and there is no debate about that,” Proenca said. “He will always be part of this working group as long as he has the technical ability. Cristiano knows that and understands this feeling.”

He added that the specific matter was “a misunderstanding that must be resolved internally”.

Ronaldo played in Portugal’s first match of the four-game period and remains, Proenca said, “an integral part” of the national team. Jesus has recently stated that he would rely on Ronaldo if the player were physically fit – a condition Proenca said applied to every member of the squad.

“Ronaldo is a Portuguese symbol, an exceptional player in every sense,” he said. “He could have ended his career at a World Cup, but he did not want to because of his great love for the national team. I am a witness to the relationship between Ronaldo, the Portuguese people and our national team.”

Proenca said the priority had been to complete the four matches calmly, allowing time for dialogue.

“This is not a house without rules,” he said. “There is a very strong relationship between Ronaldo and Jesus. Ronaldo may already have retired from international football were it not for that relationship and respect.”

He said the coming days would involve “calm, dialogue and discussion”, with the aim of everyone returning to the national team in November.