“I told him to stay calm”: Cristiano Ronaldo’s mother speaks about phone call with her son

Cristiano Ronaldo’s mother has responded with emotional words to the national team scandal in Portugal involving her son.

"I am sad, that is normal. It was a shock. My son could have gone through the big door, and instead he went through the small door," Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro (71) told the Portuguese magazine TV 7 Dias. "But that does not matter, God will take care of it." Because of the incidents, she said she had "cried a little. That does you good as well, to let something out. We have to get through this now."

Ronaldo stormed out of Portugal's training camp in Denmark last week after a disagreement with national coach Jorge Jesus. The fallout sparked fierce debate and even drew in politics.

The 41-year-old Al-Nassr forward later gave his version of events in a detailed statement and used it to launch a sharp attack on Jesus. Whether he will play for Portugal again remains unclear.

Ronaldo's mother: "He has always been Portugal's hero"

Speaking after his departure, Ronaldo's mother revealed the pair spoke on the phone: "He said to me: 'Mum, don't worry. I will tell the truth when we are all together.' And I replied: 'Okay, my son, turn the matter around again.' And that was it. I told him he should stay calm, but well, his head led him to do that. We will see. I gave him all my support, it was no use. But that does not matter. He has given Portugal so much, that is why he is always there. He has always been Portugal's hero."

She also feels the Portuguese do "not appreciate Ronaldo as they should. But that is just the Portuguese person we have." His sister Elma Aveiro had also recently come to Ronaldo's defence on social media.

Since making his Portugal debut in 2003, Ronaldo has scored 146 goals in 234 appearances. He captained the country to Euro 2016 glory, their first major title.