Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that Jorge Jesus offered him the option of remaining in Portugal while the national team travelled to Norway and Denmark, but he rejected the proposal because he did not believe it would set the right example as captain.
Ronaldo said the suggestion was made during his first meeting with Jesus after the coach took charge of Portugal. The two met at the Cidade do Futebol while Ronaldo’s club was holding its pre-season training camp.
According to Ronaldo, Jesus told him that he was counting on him and that his presence was fundamental to the new Portugal project. The coach also presented him with a plan for managing his playing time during the upcoming international camp.
Ronaldo said Jesus planned for him to play the first match and the final match, while making three or four changes per game for physical management.
It was during that conversation that Jesus raised the possibility of Ronaldo not travelling with the team for the matches in Norway and Denmark.
The proposal was for Ronaldo to play the opening match, remain in Portugal rather than travel with the squad, and then rejoin the team before the match at the Dragão. Ronaldo said he immediately rejected the idea.
“It seemed obvious to me that I could not accept it,” he said.
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His objection, according to the Portugal captain, was not based on whether he would actually play in the away matches. Instead, he believed that remaining in Portugal while continuing to captain the national team would send the wrong message.
“It was not because I would not play the matches abroad that I would stop captaining our team,” Ronaldo said. “That privilege of staying in Portugal would not be a good example.”
Jesus ultimately agreed with Ronaldo’s position, according to the player’s account.
The episode came before the later disagreement between the two men over Ronaldo’s involvement in the match in Norway.
Ronaldo said that, on the eve of the start of the camp, Jesus visited his home in Lisbon and that they reaffirmed the principles agreed during their earlier conversation.
Ronaldo subsequently played Portugal’s match at Alvalade and accepted being substituted without complaint, personally handing the captain’s armband to Bruno Fernandes.
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His decision to reject the proposal to remain in Portugal, however, was based on his view that his responsibilities as captain extended beyond simply deciding which matches he would play.
The episode is one of several details Ronaldo has now provided about the arrangements discussed with Jesus before their relationship deteriorated during the latest Portugal camp.
