Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal walkout divides a nation as Jorge Jesus asserts control

Row sparked by head coach’s decision to leave the 41-year-old on the bench has left a great international career at risk of ending in acrimony The drama surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo and the national team has naturally become the biggest story here in Portugal. It led Wednesday e

Row sparked by head coach’s decision to leave the 41-year-old on the bench has left a great international career at risk of ending in acrimony The drama surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo and the national team has naturally become the biggest story here in Portugal. It led Wednesday evening’s news broadcasts and made the front page of virtually every major newspaper. For some, Ronaldo was right to walk out on the squad days after spending half an hour warming up against Norway without being brought on in an apparent provocation by Jorge Jesus.

For others, the forward’s behaviour was intolerable and his departure a matter of time, particularly once he found himself face to face with such a strong-minded head coach. Ronaldo has promised to tell his side of the story soon, and Jesus will speak on Thursday night after the Nations League match in Denmark. A confrontation between these two huge personalities had been simmering in the background.

Jesus was inevitably asked in his first press conference with the team in July how his relationship with Ronaldo would work. Jesus, who coached Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, answered categorically. Continue reading...