Jorge Jesus extends hand to Ronaldo but flatly refuses to apologize

Jorge Jesus sent mixed signals on Sunday evening after Portugal’s victory over Norway (2-1), which secured qualification for the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals: an olive branch extended to Cristiano Ronaldo on one hand, a sharp refusal to apologize on the other.

At his post-match press conference, the 72-year-old manager first opted for appeasement. “There is no grudge, it was a misunderstanding, it’s easy to resolve. For the next international window, he will be called up. It’s up to him to decide,” he said. João Cancelo echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the status of the 41-year-old forward: “He is our captain, the symbol of our team. We all want the situation to be resolved with the respect he deserves.”

But when a CMTV journalist asked Jesus if he was considering apologizing to Ronaldo, the manager let his irritation show. “Apologize for what? What would be the reason to apologize? It’s absurd!” he repeated, while the Portuguese Football Federation’s press officer attempted to redirect questions to foreign media to calm things down.

Jesus took the opportunity to reaffirm his authority unambiguously: “I am the manager, I call up whoever I want. I don’t ask anyone’s opinion on the players I want to select or who will play. As manager, there are things that are non-negotiable.”

The crisis dates back to last Wednesday, when Ronaldo left the gathering after being left on the bench despite warming up on the sideline for around twenty minutes. In a brief message posted on Instagram, CR7 promised to set the record straight later. The president of the Portuguese Football Federation has since broken his silence, but without defusing the tension.

Portugal has a month before its next UEFA Nations League match against Denmark on November 14. A short window to reconcile an inflexible manager over his prerogatives and a national legend wounded in his pride.