Three days after Cristiano Ronaldo walked out of the Portugal camp, Bruno Fernandes stepped to a microphone in Porto on Saturday and said the two of them had already talked.
“Regarding Cristiano, I had a conversation with him, and what I told him is what I repeat here,” Fernandes told reporters at the pre-match press conference.
“Cristiano Ronaldo will never cease to be the greatest symbol of our national team, of our football, and of the country.”
Ronaldo, 41, left the training camp on 1 October after head coach Jorge Jesus made clear he would not start against Denmark. Portugal won 4-2 at Parken anyway, with João Cancelo, Gonçalo Ramos, Vitinha and João Félix answering goals from Mikkel Damsgaard and Rasmus Højlund.
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Fernandes rejects a dressing-room split
Fernandes was pushed on whether the dressing room had split along pro-Ronaldo or pro-Jesus lines.
“The most important thing is that we stop dividing things; there are no divisions in the National Team,” he said.
“We are outside of this controversy, but what I ask is that the country does not divide itself.”
Ronaldo’s own words
Ronaldo announced his exit on Instagram on 1 October.
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“After the press conference of the national team and following a conversation with the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, I have decided to leave the national team training camp,” he wrote.
“In time, I will tell all the Portuguese the truth about the reasons that motivated me to leave.”
A fourth straight win would push Portugal towards the quarter-finals
Portugal face Norway at Estádio do Dragão on Sunday with nine points at the top of Nations League A Group 4, three clear of Denmark, Norway and Wales. A fourth win would push them close to sealing a quarter-final place.
Fernandes left the question of when, or whether, Ronaldo rejoins the squad with the player and Jorge Jesus.
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“We are completely outside the matter,” he said.
“We are aware of what you are saying and what we are seeing.”
