Jesus explains the reasons for Ronaldo not participating against Norway and Denmark

The atmosphere surrounding the Portuguese national team did not calm down despite its victory in the first two matches under the leadership of its new coach, Jorge Jesus, in light of the controversy raised by the non-participation of veteran star Cristiano Ronaldo against Norway, despite his warm-up.

Portuguese media reported that Ronaldo was frustrated by his lack of participation, which sparked a controversy that extended to the Portuguese Football Federation.

Jesus responded to the controversy during a press conference today (Wednesday). His statements were reported by the Spanish newspaper Marca, saying: “Our goal in Copenhagen is to respect our competitor. Denmark is a big team, and our mission is to strive to win the European Nations League title. “I do not have just one player, but I rely on 23 players.”

The veteran coach added: “You can ask questions about any player, but for Ronaldo, one question will be a little and three questions will be a lot, so I will allow only two questions,” stressing that “Ronaldo is not the reason I am here, but rather I am here before you to face Denmark.”

Jesus revealed a prior agreement with the captain of the Portuguese national team regarding his non-participation in the two matches, saying: “I spoke with Ronaldo as I did with Bruno Fernandes, and I agreed with Cristiano that he would not participate against Norway and Denmark.”

He explained that he knows Ronaldo's physical condition well due to their previous experience with Al-Nasr Saudi Arabia, adding: “I worked with Ronaldo for a whole year, and I suddenly did not recognize him for three months. “I am well aware of his physical readiness, and through our work together in Al-Nasr, he rarely participated in consecutive matches every three days.”

He continued: “Ronaldo also does not train in the first two days after each match. I spoke with him about all these details, and during his first press conference with Portugal, he confirmed that he was committed to any role with the team, whether it was a starter or a substitute, and that he would respect the coach’s decisions. “So he did not refuse anything, and this is what happened.”

Jesus pointed out that the circumstances of the match remain a decisive factor in his decisions, saying: “The match scenario determines my decisions. We agreed not to include him in the two matches, and perhaps I would have needed him in the final minutes, but the course of the match changed all these calculations.”

The Portugal coach concluded his statements by saying: “I worked with Ronaldo for a year in Saudi Arabia, and there are no problems between us. In my career I've had a lot of problems with other players, so there's no need to make a big deal out of it. The rules will apply to all players, and everyone is equal.”