Portugal coach Jorge Jesus says he 'knew nothing' about Ronaldo's international retirement

Portugal coach Jorge Jesus said at a news conference on Friday that he "found out when we all did" about Cristiano Ronaldo's decision to retire from international football, which the 41-year-old announced in an Instagram video on Thursday the day before Jesus was due to name his squad for this month's Nations League fixtures.

Jesus, who was Ronaldo's club coach at Al-Nassr last season, said he had been preparing to select the forward and that Ronaldo had been available following a 30-day suspension from international duty, a period that did not include any national team games. Ronaldo left the Portugal camp in September after being told he would not start the Nations League match against Denmark four days later; he later said Jesus had "broken his word" but accepted he deserved punishment for departing prematurely and had claimed then he would not be retiring from international football.

Reacting to the retirement announcement, Jesus said: "I found out when we all did." He added, "Until then, I knew nothing about it." Jesus also insisted, "He was playing, he was scoring goals; he was one of the players on my squad list."

Jesus became visibly annoyed as journalists pressed him about the September dispute and defended his decisions, saying: "All my decisions were made with the team in mind," and, "As a manager, I have always defended what was best for the team. I am at peace with my decision."

Ronaldo had been an unused substitute against Norway on 27 September, so his final international appearance was three days earlier, in a 1-0 win over Wales in Lisbon. That match left his Portugal record at 146 goals from 234 games since his debut in 2003, figures the article describes as both men's world records, and noted that he also helped his country win Euro 2016.

Jesus said he had not contacted Ronaldo since the retirement announcement, and the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, Pedro Proenca, pledged to honour the forward, saying: "No tribute will ever be enough to thank him for everything he has done for Portuguese football, for Portugal," and, "The best way to honour and celebrate him is to honour his boundless ambition, to always play to win, to never be afraid of being the best in the world. "Thank you for everything, captain. This is and always will be your home."

Jesus was due to name his squad for this month's Nations League fixtures the day after Ronaldo's Instagram video, an announcement that had been scheduled before the retirement was revealed.