“There was no incident”
Jorge Jesus moved quickly to shut down the rumors. At a press conference on Wednesday, ahead of Portugal’s trip to Copenhagen for Thursday’s Nations League clash with Denmark, the head coach insisted there was no conflict between him and captain Cristiano Ronaldo. “There was no incident,” he said flatly.
The question followed Ronaldo’s behavior in Oslo on Sunday, after Portugal’s 2-1 win over Norway: left on the bench for the entire match, the forward headed straight to the dressing room afterward without greeting the traveling Portuguese fans.
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Frustration, not a falling-out
Jorge Jesus didn’t deny his captain’s frustration. “Any player, and I was one myself… when you spend 20 or 30 minutes warming up and then don’t come on, none of them are happy about it,” he said. The 72-year-old coach confirmed he had told Ronaldo before the match that he wouldn’t start, while leaving the door open for a late appearance. “Afterwards, as the coach, I decided he wasn’t coming on. There’s no need to turn that into an incident.”
Jesus also pushed back on reports that Ronaldo had refused to train on Tuesday, saying he had instead done individual “mobility” and “strengthening” work.
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Ramos to start Thursday, but Ronaldo not shut out
The coach confirmed Ronaldo would train normally on Thursday, but that he planned to start Goncalo Ramos up front against Denmark. “If everything goes normally, Goncalo will play,” he said, adding on Ronaldo: “If I need him, he’ll come on. If I don’t need him, he won’t.” At 41, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner said this summer that this season would “probably” be his last.
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