Ronaldo can return to Portugal squad if he wants: Jesus

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Cristiano Ronaldo can return to the Portugal squad if he wishes, despite walking out on his teammates, national team coach Jorge Jesus said on Sunday, reports AFP.

Jesus made the remarks after Portugal beat Norway without their veteran captain to become the first team to qualify for the Nations League quarter-finals.

The dispute began last week when Jesus left the 41-year-old Ronaldo on the bench for Portugal’s first win over Norway. Ronaldo subsequently left the squad on Wednesday after learning he would not start against Denmark.

“For me, Cris, in the next call-up, if he’s playing at Al-Nassr, he’ll be a player who can be called up,” Jesus told reporters, referring to Ronaldo’s Saudi club.

“If he wants to, he’ll return to the national team.”

Jesus also said he would be willing to speak with Ronaldo before Portugal’s next matches in November.

“If he wants to, as we did before this call-up, we talked before the call-up, we can talk before the next call-up,” he said. “But Cris is the one who’s going to decide.”

Ronaldo is Portugal’s all-time leading scorer and most-capped player. Jesus said he had told the veteran forward that he needed him in the squad after taking over as coach from Roberto Martinez following the 2026 World Cup.

“Cristiano should end his time in the national team the way he wants. He’s the one who will decide how he wants it,” Jesus said.

“I said, ‘I need you’. In my first call-up, I said, ‘I need you, I need you to be close to me, playing or not playing, I need you’. And now I’m saying the same thing.”

Ronaldo, who made his Portugal debut in 2003 at the age of 18, has said this will “probably” be his final year in football. He has been a mainstay of the national team for more than two decades and has played at six World Cups.

Portugal became the first team to secure a place in the quarter-finals in Ronaldo’s absence, with two group games still remaining.

Ronaldo’s long-time rival for the status of the world’s best player, Lionel Messi, is also set to play what is expected to be his final match for Argentina in a friendly against Benin in Buenos Aires on Tuesday.