Bruno Fernandes told Cristiano Ronaldo that if his Portugal career is going to end, it cannot end like this.
That was the thrust of a private conversation the Manchester United midfielder had with his captain before Ronaldo left the national team’s base, and which Fernandes chose to make public at a pre-match press conference.
“I talked to Cris out of respect, for knowing what it means to us Portuguese, and because my hope is that he doesn’t make hot decisions and wants to leave the national team for good,” Fernandes said.
“If he wants to do it, it has to be on a day of celebration and not in a way like it was. That’s how he deserves it.”
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Ronaldo, 41, left the Portugal camp during the September international break after being told he would not start against Norway in Oslo. Head coach Jorge Jesus, appointed after Portugal’s exit from the 2026 World Cup, kept the forward on the bench for the entire 2-1 win on September 27.
‘The greatest icon’
Fernandes framed the appeal around status rather than selection.
“I spoke with Cristiano Ronaldo and told him that he is and will always remain the greatest icon of our national team and our country,” he said.
He also asked supporters not to split along pro- and anti-Ronaldo lines, per CaughtOffside’s account of the same press conference.
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“The country should not divide itself, that people should not take sides, and that we should experience all of this as one.”
Portugal moved on without him
A day after Fernandes spoke, Portugal played the return fixture against Norway. Ronaldo was not in the matchday squad at all.
João Cancelo, Gonçalo Ramos and Francisco Conceição scored in another 2-1 win that put Portugal through to the Nations League quarterfinals.
Jesus has publicly played down a rupture, saying Ronaldo remains welcome and that any decision about his international future rests with the player. Ronaldo himself has not addressed his departure in detail, saying only that he will speak at a later date.
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