Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that he supported the appointment of Jorge Jesus as Portugal’s head coach, despite their relationship now being at the centre of a major controversy.

Ronaldo says he had originally planned to retire from international football after the 2026 World Cup. However, the president of the Portuguese Football Federation convinced him to reconsider and continue representing the national team.

According to Ronaldo, the federation president then asked for his opinion on the candidates being considered to replace Roberto Martinez.

The Portugal captain says he backed Jesus and believed he was the right man for the job.

“I replied to the federation president that, in my opinion, I believed that would be the right decision,” he said.

Ronaldo says he was genuinely happy when Jesus was eventually unveiled as the new coach.

“It was the right decision, as the results prove,” he added. However, their relationship has since deteriorated.

Ronaldo was left on the bench for Portugal’s win over Norway, despite earlier discussions about his involvement. Jesus subsequently insisted that he alone makes the final decisions on team selection.

Ronaldo later left Portugal’s training camp before the Denmark match and has now given his version of events, insisting that his decision was driven by what he describes as broken agreements and a breakdown in trust.

Despite the fallout, Ronaldo has made it clear that he has not retired from international football and remains committed to representing Portugal.

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