Portugal FA president says Ronaldo-Jorge Jesus dispute was a ‘misunderstanding’

Portugal Football Federation president Pedro Proenca has described the disagreement between Cristiano Ronaldo and national team manager Jorge Jesus as a “misunderstanding” and said the matter would be resolved internally.

Speaking to Portuguese newspaper A Bola, Proenca declined to provide details about the incident, saying such exchanges were normal between coaches and players and represented “a purely technical matter”.

“The situation between Jorge Jesus and Cristiano Ronaldo is simply a misunderstanding and we will resolve it internally,” Proenca said. “These conversations are entirely normal between managers and players. It is a purely technical issue, and I do not interfere in such matters.

“We are talking about the best player in history. He has given more than two decades to Portugal. Ronaldo is a symbol of Portuguese football.”

Proenca said Ronaldo remained central to the national team and reiterated that his future depended on his fitness.

“Ronaldo is an indispensable part of our team and he is our flag,” he added. “He was captain in the first of these four matches, and Jorge Jesus said that he counts on Cristiano if he is physically fit. That applies to all players.”

The federation president also said Ronaldo could have ended his international career after the World Cup but chose to continue because of his strong attachment to Portugal.

“Ronaldo is a Portuguese brand and an exceptional player by every measure,” Proenca said. “He could have ended his international career after the World Cup, but he did not want to because of his great love for the national team.

“I have witnessed the excellent relationship between Ronaldo, the Portuguese people and our national team.”

Proenca insisted the relationship between Ronaldo and Jesus was strong, despite the recent tension.

“Fortunately, there is a very strong relationship between Ronaldo and Jesus, and I can testify to that,” he said. “If that were not the case, let us be very clear, Ronaldo might already have left the national team. But he has not done so because of this relationship and the mutual respect between them.”

He said the coming days would be focused on calm discussions, with the aim of bringing the squad together again in November.

“What happens in the coming days will be about moments of calm and dialogue,” Proenca said. “What we want is for all of us to be together again in November to support the national team.”

Jesus had earlier left the door open for Ronaldo to return to Portugal’s squad. After the team’s 2-1 win against Norway in the fourth round of Group D matches in the Nations League, he said: “For me, everything is open. Cristiano has to decide what he wants to do with his life.”

He added: “It was simply a misunderstanding, and it will be easy for me to resolve the situation.”

Portugal have secured qualification for the Nations League quarter-finals. The victory over Norway was their second in a row since Ronaldo left the national team camp following disagreements with Jesus.

Portugal played with 10 men from the 86th minute after Francisco Conceicao was sent off.