"I spoke to him privately": Cancelo settles the debate over Cristiano's return to the Portugal squad with clear words
He recounted the behind-the-scenes story of his superb goal
João Cancelo has had his say on whether Cristiano Ronaldo could return to the Portugal squad in the coming months, amid the recent crisis surrounding head coach Jorge Jesus.
Portugal came from behind to beat Norway 2-1 and seal their place in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Nations League.
Cancelo levelled matters in the 38th minute with a stunning rocket of a strike, before Gonçalo Ramos added the second in the 79th.
Delighted with both the result and his wonderful goal, Cancelo pulled no punches when asked about a possible Ronaldo comeback.
"The coach and Mr Pedro Proença (president of the Portuguese Football Federation) will talk about this matter," he told newspaper "Record". "But, as Bruno Fernandes already said, Cristiano is our captain, he is a symbol of our national team, he is the best player Portugal has ever produced, and things will certainly end in the best possible way."
He added: "The most important thing here is these four victories. I think we all put in a great performance, including him. Now it's time to enjoy, and we'll be back here again in November."
The Barcelona man revealed to RTP that he had also spoken with Ronaldo in private.
On his goal, he explained: "I was in a good position, and Nuno Mendes has a very strong throw-in. When I saw the ball touch the ground for the first time, it was like an instinctive reaction, I shot, and thank God the ball was struck well. I scored a wonderful goal."
"By the way, almost all my goals with the national team are beautiful," he said. "I don't remember them all, but perhaps this goal is one of the most beautiful. I can't say for certain it's the most beautiful because I don't remember the other goals."
Did the four victories mark the start of a new era for the national team? "Alongside quickly absorbing the new coach's concepts, I think you also need a bit of luck. And luck is something you have to seek out," he replied.
Cancelo went on: "All my colleagues in this training camp, whether they played more or less, during the few training sessions we had, I think it was four matches in 11 or 12 days, we managed to absorb the ideas well and apply them practically on the pitch. I think we were the better team again today, and we deserved the win."
