Jorge Jesus directly addresses the Ronaldo issue. The Portugal coach, on the eve of the challenge against Denmark, did not avoid questions about the alleged clash with CR7. The problems allegedly started after 90 minutes on the bench against Norway: a decision that Ronaldo did not accept at all lightly: "It's not that I have problems answering, but all the attention is on Denmark. It seems like we are here to play a friendly...", were the first words of the former Al Nassr coach, who immediately tried to bring attention back to the match.
First of all, Jesus wants to clarify the situation with CR7: "There was no issue. I have already explained why this situation was created. I will explain it again. I have no problem facing these topics. I have had many of them during my career. But now you want to create an issue...".
Then Jesus reveals his cards: "I told Cris that he wouldn't play in these two games. During the game I thought I might need him and I took him out to warm up. And then I didn't activate him. Any player, when he stands there warming up for 20 or 30 minutes and then doesn't come on, is not happy. Even more so Cris. That's the rule. The rights are the same and, as a coach, I decided that he shouldn't come on."
Ronaldo leaves the squad
Meanwhile, Ronaldo's presence in tomorrow's match is in doubt: the former Manchester United, Juventus and Real Madrid striker, after Jesus' words in the press conference, was also absent from today's training session, despite the coach having guaranteed that the issue had been resolved. "I am the coach and I decided not to activate him. If I need him for half an hour, he will play for half an hour, otherwise not," added Jesus. "No player will ever make me change my mind about this, not him nor anyone else in football, not even a president."
The reference is to the emergency meeting with Ronaldo, in the presence of the president of the Portuguese Football Federation: "They forced me to speak to Cris about an issue that wasn't even an issue. Cris, there's so much talk about this in Portugal that we have to talk about it, but I don't understand what's going on. There was nothing to discuss. What we talked about was what he said in the press conference. He said: 'I'm here for you to decide. If you want me to play, I play. If you want me to go to the stands, I go'. The president came, it's clear, he should be here with the team. Hearing what was being said in Portugal, he wanted to know what had happened. But after dinner we had already solved the problem, which was not a problem", concluded Jesus.
CR7's plane on the way to Copenhagen
Another sign of an irreversible clash between Ronaldo and Jesus would be the movement of CR7's private plane. The plane is suspected to have left Madrid for Copenhagen to pick up the Portuguese footballer.
