Jorge Jesus has said Cristiano Ronaldo can return to the Portugal squad, with the captain free to decide whether he wants to continue his international career.
Ronaldo left Portugal’s training camp in Copenhagen during the current international break, but Jesus played down the incident after his side beat Norway 2-1 to reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Nations League.
The Portugal manager described Ronaldo’s departure as a “misunderstanding” rather than a crisis and insisted there was no resentment between the player and the national team. He also made clear that the possibility of Ronaldo returning remains open.
“I don’t know what will happen,” Jesus told RTP. “For me, everything is possible. It is up to Cris to decide his future. If he is playing and wants to join the national team for the next call-up, then why not?
“There is no resentment. It was just a misunderstanding and, in my opinion, it is easy to resolve.”
Jesus was asked when the situation with Ronaldo would be settled, but said he had no immediate answer following the victory over Norway.
“When will I resolve it? I don’t know,” he said. “The match has finished, and only after that will we know how things will develop.”
His comments represent a clear indication that Ronaldo has not been excluded from Portugal’s plans, despite leaving the camp before the meeting with Norway.
Jesus also marked the start of his Portugal tenure by highlighting a perfect record of four victories from his first four matches in charge. He said securing the win and qualification had been the main priorities against Norway, although he acknowledged that the match was not as difficult as the previous game against Denmark.
“Four matches, four wins,” Jesus said. “It is a run I perhaps did not expect when I started, regardless of how much I believed in this team.”
The manager stressed Portugal’s strength and their ability to achieve their objectives after completing qualification for the quarter-finals. The team will now have two final matches to play before the next squad is selected.
Jesus’s comments leave Ronaldo’s international future in the hands of the forward himself, while Portugal prepare for the remaining fixtures and await the next call-up.