Jesus admits he expected Ronaldo to return, not retire from Portugal duty

Jorge Jesus had every intention of calling Cristiano Ronaldo back into the Portugal squad before the veteran forward’s surprise retirement announcement on Thursday caught the new national coach off guard.

“I thought he would return. I certainly intended to call him up,” Jesus said at his Nations League squad presentation on Friday, one day after Ronaldo declared he was “handing back the No. 7 shirt” of the national team via a lengthy social media video.

The retirement came in the wake of a very public rift between the two men. Jesus had kept Ronaldo on the bench during a Nations League fixture and indicated he would not start him in the next match. Ronaldo responded by walking out of the team’s training camp. He later apologised, but the Portuguese football federation fined him and handed him a 30-day suspension from the squad.

Despite that turbulent episode, Jesus insisted there were no lingering hard feelings on his side. “As for any hard feelings? There are none. Why? Because all of my decisions were made with the team in mind,” he said. “As a coach, I’ve always advocated for what was best for the team, so I’m completely at ease with everything.”

Jesus also paid tribute to the legacy Ronaldo leaves behind. “He felt that this was the right moment to leave, and that must be respected. We can never overlook what he has meant to Portugal, what he has contributed to the country, or the fact that he serves as a symbol for younger players.”

Ronaldo’s final appearance in a Portugal shirt came on 24 September in a 1-0 home win over Wales in the Nations League — a fitting farewell on home soil, even if it was not known to be his last at the time. Across 234 international appearances, the 41-year-old scored a men’s record 146 goals and was central to Portugal’s triumph at Euro 2016. He also featured at six World Cups.

The Portuguese federation confirmed it plans to organise a formal tribute to Ronaldo. At club level, he continues with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, where he sits on 985 career goals — 15 short of the 1,000 milestone he is chasing.

Jesus took charge of Portugal following Roberto Martínez’s exit after a disappointing 2026 World Cup campaign. Questions about Ronaldo dominated Friday’s press conference, though Jesus made clear he wanted the focus to shift back to the team. Portugal has already secured a place in the Nations League quarterfinals and hosts Denmark in Braga on 14 November before travelling to Cardiff to face Wales three days later.