Rio Ferdinand says Jorge Jesus must own up over Cristiano Ronaldo dispute

Rio Ferdinand says Jorge Jesus must publicly acknowledge his handling of the dispute with Cristiano Ronaldo or risk losing his position as Portugal manager.

Speaking on his Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, the former Manchester United and England defender, who previously played alongside Ronaldo, said Jesus needed to address the issue directly and accept responsibility for his comments.

“The manager has to apologise, otherwise he will be sacked,” Ferdinand said. “He has to come out publicly and say: ‘I admit I misjudged this situation.’”

Ferdinand warned that allowing the disagreement to continue could also affect support for Portugal’s national team. He made a sarcastic reference to the number of followers on the team’s channels, saying: “It will reach 10 million followers tomorrow if this continues in the same way.”

The former England defender also criticised what he described as a failure of communication within the Portuguese Football Federation. In his view, the situation should be handled through a clear discussion between Jesus and Ronaldo, with the manager setting out his plans and expectations.

“They have to sit down with Cristiano Ronaldo and tell him: ‘This is what I want to do, and if you do not want to be part of it, tell me, but this is how things are going to be,’” Ferdinand said.

Despite his criticism of the way the matter has been managed, Ferdinand said he continued to believe Ronaldo could contribute to Portugal. He argued that the central question should be how the forward is used, rather than whether he remains part of the squad.

That could mean Ronaldo starting, making an impact from the bench, or moving between those roles depending on the demands of individual matches, Ferdinand said.

“I believe in him,” he added. “The question here is: will he be a starter, an influential substitute in matches, or a starter in some games and a substitute in others? That is the conversation that needs to take place.”

Ferdinand concluded by saying that a manager’s responsibilities extended beyond tactics and team selection. Coaches, he said, were also employed to manage personalities and maintain relationships with senior players.

“These managers are paid to manage a team, but they are also paid to manage individuals,” he said.