Cristiano Ronaldo’s dispute with Portugal manager Jesus appears to have eased after the pair held a private meeting, although reports differ on whether the disagreement has been fully resolved.
The Portugal captain was reportedly angered by his lack of involvement in the team’s previous match, a 2-1 defeat by Norway in the Nations League. Ronaldo also missed Portugal’s training session on Tuesday, with the explanation that he had returned to the team hotel to complete exercises in the gym.
The situation attracted further attention in Malmo, Sweden, where Portugal are based. Ronaldo arrived at Eleda Stadion half an hour before training was due to begin, but left for the hotel after a brief conversation with Jesus.
After the session, Jesus gave a short response when asked about his discussions with the forward.
“I speak with Cristiano Ronaldo every day, every minute,” he said.
Portuguese sports newspapers reported on Tuesday evening that an emergency meeting had taken place between the manager and Ronaldo. Pedro Proenca, president of the Portuguese Football Federation, also changed his schedule to visit the senior squad and try to contain the disagreement between the two men.
According to French outlet Foot Mercato, Portuguese newspaper O Jogo reported that Ronaldo had been particularly unhappy after Jesus assured him of 30 minutes of playing time against Norway. The forward did not leave the substitutes’ bench, although he did come out to warm up, an incident that reportedly increased his frustration and created tension within the camp.
The two men later spoke, with reports suggesting the conversation improved the atmosphere.
“According to the information gathered by our newspaper, the conversation between the national team coach and the captain went well and left a positive impression,” A Bola reported. “It is likely to ease the tension that has existed since the Norway match.”
Record also said the situation had become calmer and reported no punishment for Ronaldo.
“The captain and the coach spoke privately on Tuesday evening and reached an agreement over the controversy surrounding the Norway match,” the newspaper said.
Futebol offered a more cautious assessment, saying Jesus and Ronaldo spoke again at a hotel in Malmo on Tuesday evening and that the atmosphere around their relationship had noticeably improved.
The outlet said the meeting, the second face-to-face discussion in a longer series of conversations, had helped reduce the tension. Some believe the dispute has now lost its force, it added, while others consider it premature to say the matter is over. What was clear, according to the report, was that the pair had moved closer after a difficult day.
Despite the calmer mood, Proenca maintained his decision to bring forward his journey to Copenhagen. He left Lisbon late on Tuesday and was due to meet Jesus and Ronaldo on Wednesday to establish precisely what had happened and check the different accounts of events.
Portugal travel to face Denmark on Thursday in the third round of the Nations League.
