Georgina Rodriguez deletes criticism of Jorge Jesus after sharing fake Ferguson quote

Georgina Rodriguez has deleted an Instagram post criticising Portugal manager Jorge Jesus after sharing a fabricated quote attributed to Sir Alex Ferguson during the growing dispute involving Cristiano Ronaldo.

Rodriguez, Ronaldo’s wife, posted the comment on Saturday evening before removing it a few minutes later following a strong negative reaction. The post had included an alleged statement from Ferguson, Ronaldo’s former manager at Manchester United.

The fabricated quote read: “If Jorge Jesus knows deep down that he does not intend to use him [Ronaldo], why did he call him up in the first place? To take a stand? This is not authority, but a lack of confidence.”

Rodriguez responded in Spanish: “I don’t know how this man can carry the name of Christ,” a clear reference to the manager’s surname, Jesus.

Portuguese newspaper A Bola reported that the original post came from the Hispanic Sports Media page. There is no reliable source confirming that Ferguson made the comments, and none of Europe’s major media organisations published them.

How the dispute developed

The dispute began after Portugal’s 2-1 victory over Norway in the Nations League on Sunday, 27 September, when Ronaldo remained on the substitutes’ bench for the entire match.

The Al-Nassr forward warmed up during the second half, but Jesus decided not to bring him on. The manager had initially been planning to use Ronaldo because of Goncalo Ramos’ performance.

Tensions increased in the days that followed when Ronaldo missed a training session in Malmo, Sweden. That prompted Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proenca to travel early to the national team’s camp.

The situation reached a peak on 30 September, when Ronaldo left Portugal’s camp in Copenhagen after Jesus held a news conference before the match against Denmark. Ronaldo’s departure followed a conversation with Proenca.

The former Real Madrid player later wrote on Instagram: “At the right time I will tell all Portuguese people the truth.”

Jesus has previously managed Ronaldo at Al-Nassr.

Portugal are due to face Norway again in Porto on Sunday evening, with their long-standing captain absent.