The Portugal coach, Jorge Jesús, acknowledged this Friday that he planned to call up Cristiano Ronaldo for the next Nations League matches, before the forward announced his international retirement after the confrontation between the two.
«Of course I thought he would return, of course I thought to summon him and talk to him, but you have to respect him. “He has decided that it was time to leave the national team,” declared the coach during the press conference in which he presented the call for 28 players.
Jorge Jesús assured that Ronaldo’s decision must be respected and highlighted the importance of the forward in the history of Portuguese football. «Sooner or later it had to happen. “It seemed like it was the best time to leave, we have to respect it, without ever being able to ignore what it has represented for Portugal,” he said.
The 72-year-old coach also refused to feel responsible for the departure of the Portuguese team’s top leader. «All my decisions were made thinking about the team. “I don’t feel at all guilty about his departure,” he said.
Ronaldo announced his international retirement on Thursday, after having accused the coach of disrespecting him during the match against Norway, played at the end of September, when he warmed up without actually entering the field of play.
The 41-year-old striker will continue his career at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. His farewell puts an end to a historic period with Portugal, the team with which he won the 2016 Euro Cup and the 2019 Nations League.
Portugal, already qualified for the quarterfinals, will close the group stage against Denmark, on November 14 in Braga, and Wales, three days later.
The call features two new players: striker Gustavo Varela and right back Alberto Costa. Also notable are the returns of Rodrigo Mora, Geovany Quenda, Mateus Fernandes and Carlos Forbs, while Nuno Mendes and Francisco Conceição will be out due to injury.
