The "opponent" has come forward to speak candidly about "Ronaldo" after previous issues before his departure from Portugal's national team.
On 5 November 2026 GMT+7, Jorge Jesus, the current Portugal national team coach and Ronaldo's opponent in their past conflict, gave his first interview following the 41-year-old star’s official retirement from the national team, ending a 23-year legacy (2003-2026).
Cristiano Ronaldo decided to leave the Portugal national team camp after being informed by coach Jorge Jesus that he would not be in the starting lineup for the UEFA Nations League match against Denmark on 1 October.
Prior to that, Ronaldo was furious after being benched in the UEFA Nations League game where Portugal defeated Norway 2-1 on 27 September—the first time in his 18-year international career that he did not take the field.
This incident led him to miss three training sessions and withdraw from the camp before the last two international matches, choosing to fly from Portugal to Spain on a private jet.
Although later the Portuguese Football Federation imposed a 30-day retrospective suspension and fined him only 255 euros (about 9,606.11 baht), which would not have caused him to miss any matches if called back to the team, he ultimately chose to retire from the "Seleção das Quinas".
Recently, Jorge Jesus, who had past conflicts with Cristiano Ronaldo, spoke about his former player, saying, "Cristiano is a global icon and a role model for Portugal and the national team."
"I have placed a large photo of him in the meeting room so that all young players can see and take him as an example every day."
"I once asked him to stay because I wanted him by my side, but I must accept his decision. He will always have a place in the hearts of the Portuguese people and will remain an icon of Portuguese football forever."
