Georgina Rodriguez has criticised Portugal manager Jorge Jesus during the escalating dispute between him and Cristiano Ronaldo, posting a comment on Instagram before removing it a few minutes later.
Ronaldo’s wife responded on Saturday evening to a post carrying a fabricated quote attributed to Sir Alex Ferguson, the former Manchester United manager who coached Ronaldo.
The false statement 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 commented in Spanish: “I don’t know how this man can have the name of Christ,” an apparent reference to the manager’s surname, Jesus. She deleted the post shortly afterwards after it attracted a large number of negative reactions.
Portuguese newspaper A BOLA reported that the original post came from the Hispanic Sports Media page. No reliable source has confirmed that Ferguson made the comment, and it was not published by any of Europe’s major media organisations.
How the dispute developed
The disagreement began after Portugal’s 2-1 victory over Norway in the Nations League on Sunday, 27 September, when Ronaldo remained an unused substitute.
The former Real Madrid forward did warm up during the second half, but Jesus decided not to send 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, who plays for Al-Nassr, missed a training session in Malmo, Sweden. That prompted Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proenca to travel to the national team’s camp earlier than planned.
The dispute reached its peak on 30 September. Ronaldo left Portugal’s training camp in Copenhagen after Jesus held a news conference before the match against Denmark and after the player had spoken with Proenca.
Ronaldo 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, this time without their longstanding captain.
The latest incident involving Rodriguez adds to the tension around Ronaldo’s relationship with the Portugal manager, while also highlighting the spread of an unverified quote presented as a statement from Ferguson.
