Portugal coach Jorge Jesus said that it is Cristiano Ronaldo who must decide whether to return to the national team.
„Within a year, I was part of what the footballer Cristiano symbolizes and embodies, especially for the children. He is a world icon. That is why after the match I said that he will not return to the national team unless he himself makes such a decision. I have no doubts about that," the coach shared.
"The situation that arose between us is very exaggerated. A lot of people intervened and presented it as a problem, even though there was no problem."
"A coach sent a player, even though he had such a high status, to warm up, but did not let him on the field, and they made a problem out of it. Do you think that is a reason for a symbol like Chris to end his career with the national team so abruptly? I want him to stay. He knows that his career will end someday, because nothing lasts forever. But I would like him to end the national team in a way that he wants. It is his decision. That is what we talked about."
"When he was first called up to the national team, I told him: “I need you.“Whether you play or not, I need you. And now it is the same“, – said the head coach of Portugal.
The coach was talking after the Portuguese team's second success since the "Cristiano Ronaldo" era. The team defeated Norway 2-1 in the 4th round of the Nations League.
„The result speaks for itself, everything we planned worked. Norway has the best striker in the world, Holland, Odegaard is among the best midfielders, and the team itself is extremely powerful, tall and physically strong. Such a team can only be defeated by a high technical level. We won, even though we didn't play as well as against Denmark. But the most important thing is the victory and qualifying for the next round."
“I believed a lot in the team, but maybe I didn't expect that we would win the first four games“, said Jesus.