Portugal manager Jorge Jesus has denied any disagreement with Cristiano Ronaldo, saying the veteran forward’s two-day absence from training was completely normal and had nothing to do with a dispute between them.
His comments came after Portuguese media reported that a “crisis meeting” had taken place involving Ronaldo, Jesus and Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proença.
Ronaldo was reportedly unhappy after he was left on the bench and did not play in Portugal’s 2-1 win over Norway on Sunday, September 27. After the game, he went straight down the tunnel instead of joining his teammates in acknowledging the fans.
The 41-year-old also missed training for the next two days, which led to speculation about his relationship with Jesus.
However, ahead of Portugal’s UEFA Nations League match against Denmark on Thursday, October 1, Jesus insisted that Ronaldo’s two-day absence from training was simply part of the normal routine and not a sign of any disagreement.
“He never trains on the first or second day after a game. He never refused to do anything,” Jesus said on Wednesday.
He added: “If you look, he’s training today. Do you think a player at the level of a national team would refuse to train? Only if he wanted to leave. Nobody refuses to train.”
Jesus also said: “Don’t try to create a fuss where there isn’t one. It was a decision by the coach. I had a plan.”
According to Portuguese outlets Record and A Bola, Ronaldo, Jesus and Proença met in Copenhagen on Wednesday, ahead of the match against Denmark.
Ronaldo was included in Jesus’ first squad as Portugal manager. The 72-year-old coach took over from Roberto Martinez after the 2026 World Cup. Jesus previously coached Ronaldo at Al Nassr between 2023 and 2025.
In Jesus’ first game in charge, Ronaldo started in Portugal’s 1-0 win over Wales on Thursday, September 24. He had seven shots but failed to score and was substituted in the 65th minute, with Gonçalo Ramos replacing him.
Ronaldo is the most-capped men’s international player of all time, with 234 appearances, and is also the leading scorer in men’s international football with 146 goals.
The Al Nassr forward has recently indicated that he is likely to retire from football in the near future.
In an interview published last month, Ronaldo said: “This is probably my last year of football, and I want to leave a spectacular legacy.”