Cristiano Ronaldo Decides Against International Retirement After Dispute with Jesus
Portuguese veteran star Cristiano Ronaldo, striker of Saudi club Al-Nassr, announced that he will not retire from international football following his dispute with Jorge Jesus, the manager of his national team, during the current international break, and will be available to join Portugal’s training camp in November.
Ronaldo released a statement on Tuesday evening via his official social media accounts, titled “This is the truth about what happened with Jorge Jesus,” adding, “As I promised, I will reveal to you all the circumstances surrounding Portugal’s last training camp.”
The Portugal captain disclosed in his statement, “I had prepared a message for our fans in Portugal, which I still have, containing the words I intended to address them with upon my retirement after the World Cup, to leave the national team on a positive note.”
He continued, “On the return flight from the United States, the president of the Portuguese Football Federation asked me to reconsider my decision to retire from international football, as the federation wants me to continue with the team. He then asked for my opinion on the current coach (Jesus), among a list of other names that the federation president did not disclose to me.”
The Al-Nassr striker added, “I assured the federation president that appointing Jorge Jesus would be the right decision, so I was very pleased when he was presented to the media. It was the correct choice, as confirmed by the team’s current results.”
He noted, “A few days later, I received an initial call from the new national team coach, who expressed his desire to meet with me in person. I agreed to the interview, and we arranged for it to take place after my vacation ended.”
He clarified, “We did meet at my club’s training camp in preparation for the new season. The national team coach assured me that he would rely on me and that I would be a key pillar in his project. He also shared his plan regarding me, stating that I would participate in the first two matches, while he would have to make three or four substitutions in each game to maintain my physical condition.”
