Ronaldo publicly endorses his supporters and reignites Portugal crisis

Cristiano Ronaldo fueled the controversy surrounding his departure from Portugal’s national team gathering by publicly endorsing, via an Instagram ‘like’, comments from former Brazilian international Felipe Melo, who had defended him against coach Jorge Jesus.

Melo did not mince words on SporTV. “Ronaldo is one of the greatest players in history and the greatest in Portugal. Between Cristiano Ronaldo and Jorge Jesus, I am clearly on Cristiano Ronaldo’s side. If tomorrow I am proven that Cristiano Ronaldo was disrespectful, then I will be the first to change my mind,” said the former Juventus Turin player, before continuing on Instagram: “I see more respect from Ronaldo’s opponents than from his own national team teammates. Nobody there comes close to Cristiano Ronaldo. We cannot let the greatest player in history leave like this.”

By ‘liking’ this post, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner implicitly validated a direct attack against his own coach and teammates, a stance that should not facilitate the reconciliation sought by Portugal’s federation leadership.

According to newspaper Record, Portuguese federation president Pedro Proença is considering organizing a meeting between Ronaldo and Jorge Jesus. The goal: to allow the star to rejoin the squad and secure an honorable exit from the national team. The player’s social media gesture, however, seriously complicates this mediation effort.