Things are starting to look well after the recent disaster between Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal's soccer federation. Following his bench time against Norway, Ronaldo was left furious and allegedly skipped training before their Denmark game.
Ronaldo, along with Portugal's manager Jorge Jesus, was soon called to an emergency meeting and press conference, after which the Al-Nassr star left the team and departed the country in his private jet. This soon sparked rumors about his tussle with the team and problems with management. Ronaldo, 41, has only a handful of days left before his retirement, and fans expect the legend to get a proper farewell.
Jesus was always in favor of discussing the issue after Portugal's last Nations League game against Norway on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. After Portugal sealed a comfortable 2-1 victory over Norway, Jesus addressed the Ronaldo situation.
Article Continues Below“If he wants to, he'll return to the national team. We can talk before the next call-up, but Cris [Cristiano Ronaldo] is the one who's going to decide. Cristiano should end his time in the national team the way he wants; he's the one who will decide how he wants it. In my first call-up, I said, ‘I need you, I need you to be close to me, playing or not playing, I need you'. And now I'm saying the same thing,” Jesus said. Jesus and Ronaldo share a brief history, since he managed Ronaldo at Al-Nassr. (via BBC)
Ronaldo started the 1-0 opening-game win over Wales, but he was named as a substitute in Norway, with no confirmation about his match time. It marked the first time Ronaldo remained an unused substitute for his country in a competitive game since 2008. After Jesus shared in a press conference that he did not plan to start Ronaldo against Denmark, the Real Madrid legend left the national camp.
However, Ronaldo's departure has not hurt the team, and the defending champions have already entered the final eight of the competition. Nearing the 1000 goal milestone, Ronaldo currently has 146 goals for Portugal in 234 appearances.