{"id":129841,"date":"2026-10-07T16:15:50","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T15:15:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=129841"},"modified":"2026-10-07T16:15:50","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T15:15:50","slug":"ronaldo-free-to-return-to-portugal-team-jesus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/ronaldo-free-to-return-to-portugal-team-jesus\/","title":{"rendered":"Ronaldo Free to Return to Portugal Team- Jesus"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Oscar Okhifo<\/strong><\/p>\n

Portugal coach Jorge Jesus has said Cristiano Ronaldo remains eligible for selection and can return to the national team if he wants, following the forward\u2019s abrupt departure from the squad amid renewed uncertainty over his international future.<\/p>\n

Jesus spoke after Portugal\u2019s 2-1 victory over Norway, saying Ronaldo could be recalled for the team\u2019s next international assignment if he remains fit and available.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, Cris, in the next call-up, if he\u2019s playing at Al-Nassr, he\u2019ll be a player who can be called up,\u201d Jesus said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he wants to, he\u2019ll return to the national team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jesus, who previously coached Ronaldo at Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, said he was prepared to discuss the situation with the 41-year-old before the next international window.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he wants to, as we did before this call-up, we talked before the call-up; we can talk before the next call-up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Cris is the one who\u2019s going to decide.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ronaldo\u2019s latest departure followed a disagreement over his involvement in Portugal\u2019s Nations League campaign.<\/p>\n

The forward started Portugal\u2019s opening match against Wales on September 24 but was substituted. Four days later, he was named among the substitutes for the 2-1 victory over Norway and remained on the bench throughout the match.<\/p>\n

Jesus later explained that he had considered bringing Ronaldo on for about 30 minutes but changed his plans as the game progressed.<\/p>\n

The situation escalated ahead of Portugal\u2019s next match against Denmark, when Jesus told reporters that Ronaldo would not start. He, however, denied that there was a serious rift between them.<\/p>\n

Ronaldo arrived at Copenhagen\u2019s Parken Stadium with the squad but did not join his teammates for training.<\/p>\n

The Portuguese Football Federation subsequently confirmed that Ronaldo had left the training camp, with reports indicating that he departed in a federation vehicle following Jesus\u2019 press conference.<\/p>\n

Ronaldo later announced on social media that he had decided to leave the national-team camp after Jesus\u2019 press conference and a conversation with Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proen\u00e7a.<\/p>\n

He said he would explain the reasons for his decision \u201cin due course\u201d while wishing Portugal and his teammates well.<\/p>\n

Portugal went on to defeat Denmark 4-2 without Ronaldo before beating Norway 2-1 to maintain a perfect Nations League record and secure qualification for the quarter-finals.<\/p>\n

Ronaldo\u2019s departure has raised fresh questions over whether he has played his final game for Portugal, particularly after he previously indicated that 2026 would \u201cprobably\u201d be his final year in professional football.<\/p>\n

Following the last World Cup, there was also pressure on the five-time Ballon d\u2019Or winner to retire from international football. Ronaldo, however, made it clear that he would decide when to end his career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will retire when I want, not when you want,\u201d he said at the time.<\/p>\n

His then partner and now wife, Georgina Rodr\u00edguez, publicly defended him during the period of criticism, while Ronaldo\u2019s fans also rallied behind the veteran forward and rejected calls for him to end his international career.<\/p>\n

Ronaldo subsequently continued to represent Portugal and remains the country\u2019s all-time leading goalscorer and most-capped player, with 146 goals in 234 international appearances.<\/p>\n

Jesus has now made clear that Ronaldo\u2019s departure does not necessarily mark the end of his international career, insisting that the player should determine how and when his Portugal journey ends.<\/p>\n

\u201cCristiano should end his time in the national team the way he wants; he\u2019s the one who will decide how he wants it,\u201d Jesus said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s how we talked, the two of us. I said, \u2018I need you\u2019. In my first call-up, I said, \u2018I need you, I need you to be close to me, playing or not playing, I need you\u2019. And now I\u2019m saying the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes has also dismissed suggestions of divisions within the squad over Ronaldo.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are no divisions in the national team. It is one and will remain so, despite any noise that may come from outside,\u201d Fernandes said.<\/p>\n

Fernandes described Ronaldo as the biggest icon of Portuguese football and called for respect for the veteran forward.<\/p>\n

The president of the Portuguese Football Federation has similarly indicated that Ronaldo remains part of the team\u2019s plans, describing the episode as a misunderstanding and stressing that the forward\u2019s place in the national team should be determined by sporting merit.<\/p>\n

For now, however, the decision rests with Ronaldo.<\/p>\n

Portugal\u2019s next Nations League fixtures are against Denmark on November 14 and Wales on November 17, leaving Jesus with the prospect of welcoming the veteran forward back if he chooses to return.<\/p>\n

After more than two decades with the national team, Ronaldo\u2019s future with Portugal is once again in his own hands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Oscar Okhifo Portugal coach Jorge Jesus has said Cristiano Ronaldo remains eligible for selection and can return to the national team if he wants, following the forward\u2019s abrupt departure…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":129842,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-129841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nRonaldo Free to Return to Portugal Team- Jesus - Pointblank News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/ronaldo-free-to-return-to-portugal-team-jesus\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ronaldo Free to Return to Portugal Team- Jesus - 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