In the space of about a week, Jorge Jesus and Cristiano Ronaldo went from a mild climate to one of tension. Between mistakes and unfulfilled promises, Pedro Proença flew to Copenhagen to settle the matter, which was discussed before the president arrived.
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29/09/2026
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This whole soap opera began moments after the final whistle of the Portuguese victory in Oslo. After you didn't leave the bench, Cristiano Ronaldo went straight to the locker room and did not join the comrades in the celebrations and thanks to the about 500 national supporters who were on the stands of the Ullevaal Stadion. From then on, a ball was generated that has been going on for several days.
Shortly after the departure, and in the area of quick interviews, Jorge Jesus explained that he decided not to use the Madeiran star because he “did not think it was the ideal time to launch the captain”.
“ I was thinking of putting him in the game, maybe half an hour, but then the game dictates other things. I thought it wasn't the time to put him in the game, there's still two more, but it wasn't to protect him physically, because he was in a position to play as long as I wanted. It was an option. I didn't think it was the right time, I needed a player with other features, but that doesn't mean he's out of options, on the contrary. Maybe with Denmark will play,” Jorge Jesus said.
The explanations continued at the press conference, with the Portuguese technician assuming he would talk to Cristiano Ronaldo about his attitude to clarify everything that had happened.
Captain absent from training and working in the hotel... with emoji mixed
The day changed and Cristiano Ronaldo was present in recovery training the day after the victory in Oslo, something that didn't happen this tuesdayOnce the tension has grown. The team of quinas went on to practice at the Eleda Stadium in Malmo, with Jorge Jesus speaking succinctly to journalists, assuming that he talks to the team captain every hour. “I talk to Cristiano Ronaldo every day and every minute,” the selector replied.
Cristiano Ronaldo, in fact, was with the rest of the entourage on the lawn in Malmo. He was seen chatting with Jorge Jesus at the bench of alternates, about half an hour before the preparation, but eventually returned to the hotel to perform specific work at the gym. According to the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), the captain of the national team did not found at the club's premises the equipment he needed, something that did not happen to any other player, since João Félix and Francisco Conceição, both out of practice today, trained at the stadium. The day before, during recovery training, Cristiano Ronaldo had done gym work at the stadium.
In the midst of all this ‘case’, Cristiano Ronaldo returned today to social networks, namely Instagram, to leave a message. Although speechless, the captain shared a photograph wearing the jersey of the national team, with emojis of the flag of Portugal and a red heart. A sign that the passion to play for Portugal is there.
Proença flew urgently to Copenhagen with consensus to appear
The situation gained more serious contours when Pedro Proença was caught at Humberto Delgado Airport in Lisbon taking an emergency flight to Copenhagen, information confirmed by Sports to Minute. The president of FPF would be present in the Azores, for the game of sub-21, but moved to the country where the main team will play on Thursday. The goal? Try to put some water in the boiling.
Proença, Jorge Jesus and Cristiano Ronaldo will meet urgently this Wednesday on Danish soil to try to put everything on clean dishes. In the meantime, RTP News has already clarified evening that the selector and the team captain were gathered this Tuesday after dinner to resolve the alleged disagreement. This is after you've already spoken at the beginning of the day without reaching an agreement.
According to the public station, the divergence between the two began because Cristiano Ronaldo felt deceived by the coach, who had promised minutes before Norway.
Jorge Jesus will have talked to Christian Ronaldo suggested using the captain in both games at home in front of Wales in Alvalade and Norway in the Dragon, but eventually decided to take him to the other games. It was this mismatch of ideas that would have generated a climate of tension.
So far, no information has been denied by the FPF, but, according to RTP News, the press conference forecasting the duel in Denmark, which is scheduled for 16 hours (Time of Continental Portugal), will serve as a stage for further details on this whole situation.