Cristiano Ronaldo’s future with Portugal is uncertain after new head coach Jesus allegedly broke an agreement over his playing time, according to Portuguese journalist Pedro Sepulveda.
Sepulveda believes the incident could mark the end of the 41-year-old’s international career. His comments came after Ronaldo left Portugal’s training camp before the team’s UEFA Nations League fixtures.
Ronaldo released a statement on Wednesday evening saying he would “tell the truth” about the reasons for his unexpected departure. His sister, Elma Aveiro, later criticised the way the five-time Ballon d’Or winner had been treated, saying he had not received the respect he deserved.
Ronaldo left the national team three days after Portugal’s 2-1 away win against Norway. It was the first Portugal match since 2008 in which the Manchester United and Real Madrid legend had not appeared.
Following the incident, Jesus said there was no issue between him and Ronaldo. The coach also stressed that he had always known Ronaldo would not play in Oslo.
However, Sepulveda said the original agreement between the player and the new manager was that Ronaldo would miss both of Portugal’s away matches in Scandinavia. According to the reporter, Jesus later told Ronaldo he would be introduced as a substitute against Norway.
Speaking on The Sports Bar programme, Sepulveda said: “Ronaldo and new coach Jesus agreed that he would only play the first and last matches.”
“Therefore, across these four matches, Ronaldo would only play the two matches in Portugal, while he would be on the bench for the two away games.”
He added that Ronaldo had initially planned to remain in Portugal and train rather than travel with the squad to Denmark and Norway, despite knowing he would not start either match.
“The problem arose on the morning of the Norway game, when the coach approached Ronaldo and said, ‘Listen, I’m going to give you 30 minutes in this game.’ That was completely contrary to their previous agreement,” Sepulveda said.
“Ronaldo replied, ‘Okay, if you need me, I’m always ready to play.’ He then prepared himself mentally and physically to play for 30 minutes.”
Jesus subsequently sent Ronaldo to warm up during the match, with supporters in the stadium expecting him to come on.
“But in the end, Ronaldo did not play a single minute,” Sepulveda said.
