Jorge Jesus opened his pre-match press conference on Wednesday by reading out a line he said Cristiano Ronaldo had delivered to him in private.
“I’m here for you to decide. If you want me to play, I’ll play. If you want me to go to the stands, I’ll go,” Jesus quoted the 41-year-old as saying.
Hours later Ronaldo was gone. The Portugal captain confirmed on Instagram that he was leaving the national team’s training camp ahead of the UEFA Nations League trip to Denmark, scheduled for Thursday at Parken in Copenhagen.
Jesus: ‘I made a mistake’
The row has its origin in Oslo. Portugal beat Norway 2-1 on 27 September, with João Félix and Gonçalo Ramos scoring and Erling Haaland pulling one back. Ronaldo spent the match on the bench and did not come on.
Read also: Mbappé celebrates injury nightclubbing
The manager has since conceded he mishandled his captain’s warm-up.
“No player is happy when they warm up for 20 or 30 minutes and then don’t get played. Nobody’s happy. Least of all Cris,” he told reporters.
“That’s where I made a mistake; I should have had him warm up about 15 minutes later.”
Jesus also disclosed that he had told Ronaldo before the camp he would not play either Norway or Denmark, framing the decision as part of a longer plan.
Read also: Jorge Jesus breaks silence as Portugal’s Ronaldo crisis deepens
“I agreed with him, we developed a plan like with Bruno Fernandes, and I told Cris that he wouldn’t play in either the match against Norway or the one against Denmark, because I’ve worked with Cris for a year,” Jesus said.
Proença flies in, Ronaldo flies out
By Wednesday night Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proença had travelled to the camp to meet Ronaldo. Jesus, back at the microphone the same day, insisted there was nothing to resolve.
“They forced me to talk to Cris about an issue that didn’t exist. There was nothing to talk about,” he said.
He also pushed back on reports that Ronaldo had refused to train.
Read also: Man City whistleblower allegedly attempted to be assassinated
“He didn’t refuse. It’s impossible. Do you believe that? Not Cris.”
Ronaldo’s Instagram post arrived later, saying the decision had come after Jesus’s press conference and his meeting with Proença.
“After the National Team coach’s press conference, and following a conversation with the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, I decided to leave the National Team’s training camp,” he wrote.
“In due time, I will tell all Portuguese people the truth about the reasons that led me to leave the national team, to which I have always dedicated myself.”
Read also: Tuchel knows: Kane is unique and noone can ever replace him
Portugal, who opened their Nations League title defence with a 1-0 win over Wales and the 2-1 result in Oslo, play Denmark on Thursday at Parken in Copenhagen without their captain.
Read also: ‘Dana White got my US ban lifted,’ says Fury
