Jorge Jesus speaks about Ronaldo’s sudden departure from Portugal: ‘That doesn’t interest me’

Jorge Jesus spoke at length on Friday afternoon about Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from the Portugal national team. The head coach does not blame himself.

On Thursday afternoon, Ronaldo suddenly announced in a video message that he would no longer play for Portugal, even though he had been on the list of players to be called up.

A dispute arose between Jesus and Ronaldo during the last transfer window. Ronaldo was not supposed to play against Norway, but was asked to warm up anyway. He was ultimately not brought on, angering the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Ronaldo then took his private jet and left Portugal's training camp immediately. He was fined €255 for doing so and seemed to be available again for the upcoming Nations League matches.

But on Thursday morning, it emerged that Ronaldo would never play for Portugal again. The news surprised Jesus too. "I found out when we all found out. I was told just yesterday, as you all heard, after the video he made… Until then, I knew nothing. He was playing, he was scoring goals, he was one of the players in my squad."

Jesus said: "I do not feel guilty in any way about his departure. Maybe I sped things up, but no, it is not my fault. He had it in his mind that, whether it was this squad or a later one, it would happen. I respect his decision. I have built a strong friendship with him over this year and a half."

"I would change nothing. Nothing at all. Because I made a coaching decision. A decision with my team, the Portuguese team, in mind. I am aware that I did nothing to make this happen."

"What happened in the past does not interest me. Of course I thought he would come back. Of course I thought I would call him up, that I would talk to him, but I have to respect him. He has decided it was time to leave the squad. Sooner or later, that would have had to happen. He felt this was the best time to stop, and that must be respected," he concluded.