Jorge Jesus stands by his opinion. © ANSA / Liselotte Sabroe

In the Ronaldo dispute: Portugal coach adds fuel to the fire

Portugal's national football coach Jorge Jesus has defended his actions in the scandal surrounding the departure of superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

02 October 2026

From: dpa/dl

He acted with a completely clear conscience, the coach said. "There are players with a special status, but the rules apply equally to everyone. That's how I've seen it throughout my entire career, and I will continue to stick to it," Jesus said after the convincing 4-2 Nations League away win against Denmark – without the 41-year-old Ronaldo.

For Jesus, it was his third victory in three Nations League matches with Portugal. "The team firmly believes in what they are doing. For me, this was our best game so far. That's normal, because we've had more time to work," the 72-year-old said at the post-match press conference in Copenhagen.

Is my national team career over?

Because he was only on the bench for the 2-1 victory in Norway and was also not given a place in the starting eleven against Denmark, Ronaldo left the Portuguese team's training camp the evening before the Denmark match. He flew to Madrid in a private plane and will likely not play for the national team again. To date, Ronaldo has made 234 appearances for Portugal, scoring 146 goals.

At 41: CR7 acted like a crybaby. © APA/afp / PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA

Jorge Jesus emphasized that the team believes in the coach and that the Ronaldo incident will not cause a split. "Nothing indicates that the players don't support me. What's important is what we have to do. I know why you asked that question. These things happen, but they don't divide the group – and they won't," Jesus said at the press conference.