Shortly after Cristiano Ronaldo left Portugal’s camp and promised to tell the country «the truth,» head coach Jorge Jesus stated that his team remains unbreakable regardless.
Portugal coach Jorge Jesus emerged from a 4-2 win over Denmark, insisting the row had not fractured his dressing room. «They haven’t separated us, and they won’t separate us,» he told Portugal’s Sport TV.
Asked whether he still felt the squad was behind him, Jesus gave a firm response:
«There’s nothing that should stop the group from being with me,» he said. «The things that happen don’t separate the group, they haven’t separated us and they won’t separate us.»
The more revealing moment came when Jesus was asked whether Ronaldo would be welcomed back.
Jesus pointed towards the football: four goals, an away victory and what he described as a «top-level performance». That was more important than everything that had happened around the team, the coach insisted.
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How did the Ronaldo-Jesus spat escalate
Ronaldo has abruptly left the squad in Copenhagen ahead of the match against Denmark on Wednesday after talks with Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) president Pedro Proença. Ronaldo said he would explain his reasons later, casting fresh uncertainty over an international career that has already stretched across more than two decades.
According to Reuters, both Jesus and Proença rushed to Copenhagen airport after Portugal’s 41-year-old captain had collected his belongings and unsuccessfully attempted to persuade him not to leave. He instead took a private flight to Madrid.
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João Cancelo, Gonçalo Ramos, Vitinha and João Félix all scored as Jesus’s side beat Denmark 4-2, maintaining a perfect Nations League record with nine points from three matches.
