Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from Portugal squad after Oslo benching splits country
Cristiano Ronaldo walked out of Portugal’s national team after being left on the bench for the Nations League match against Norway in Oslo last Sunday, a decision that has dominated Portuguese media coverage on Wednesday and divided public opinion.
The dispute followed head coach Jorge Jesus’s choice to keep the 41-year-old forward on the bench during that game; Jesus has insisted his decision was tactical. The row has revived debate in Portugal over Ronaldo’s automatic selection, echoed from discussions around his role during this summer’s World Cup.
Criticism and support for Ronaldo have split across the media and public. Supporters defended him on social media, while many newspapers and commentators accused him of selfish behaviour; O Jogo ran a front-page message suggesting the player had turned his back on the national team. Some outlets in which Ronaldo is a shareholder have instead criticised Jesus, accusing him of ingratitude and of breaking a prior understanding.
According to Jesus, there was a verbal agreement that Ronaldo would not start against Norway—three days after he had played for 67 minutes against Wales in Jesus’s first match in charge—but would come on as a substitute; during the 2-1 win in Oslo those plans changed and Ronaldo remained unused after spending around half an hour warming up. Immediately after the final whistle Ronaldo left the pitch and did not join his teammates as they saluted their supporters.
Jesus has repeatedly emphasised his authority over team selection. In his first press conference with the national team in July he said, “Cris will never be a problem for the national team or for me,” and he later told reporters, “I can promise whatever I want,” adding: “I’m the coach and I told the player that he wasn’t going to play. I told him I would take him to the bench and that, if I needed him for 30 minutes, he would play. But I saw the game differently, so he didn’t come on. It won’t be Cristiano, or any other player, who changes my ideas as a coach. Never. Neither him nor anyone else. Not even a president. Never. Zero.” Jesus has also stated his intention to start Gonçalo Ramos rather than Ronaldo in Monday’s game.
Ronaldo abruptly left the team hotel, boarded a plane and posted on social media saying he would reveal his side of the story soon. Reports in the piece note a perceived decline in Ronaldo’s media handling since his split almost four years ago from agent Jorge Mendes after an interview with Piers Morgan that preceded his departure from Manchester United; Ronaldo’s friendship and family connection with Mendes are said to remain intact, while he is now managed by a team he assembled himself. Some observers have questioned whether those around him include enough figures willing to warn him when actions risk creating a negative public image.
The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) is reported to be considering disciplinary action: Ronaldo faces a possible suspension of between one and six months and a fine for breaching its disciplinary code, and some publications are already claiming he may never return to the national team. After 234 appearances over the past 23 years and 146 goals, those reports have fuelled speculation about the manner in which his international career might end.
Jesus is due to speak on Thursday night after Portugal’s Nations League match in Denmark, and Ronaldo has said he will tell his side of the story soon.