Jorge Jesus Said He Had No Prior Knowledge of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Retirement

Portugal coach Jorge Jesus said he discovered Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement from international football only when the announcement was made.

The 41-year-old revealed his decision in an Instagram video on Thursday, just one day before Jesus was due to announce the national team squad for this month’s Nations League fixtures.

Jesus said that Ronaldo did not give him prior notice of the decision, and that he had been preparing to select the in-form Al-Nassr forward.

“I found out when we all did,” Jesus said. “Until then, I knew nothing about it.

“He was playing, he was scoring goals; he was one of the players on my squad list.”

Ronaldo was available again after serving a 30-day suspension from international duty, a period that did not include any national team games.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner had left the Portugal camp in September after being told he would not start the Nations League match against Denmark four days later.

Ronaldo later said that Jesus had “broken his word,” but accepted that he deserved to be punished for his premature departure and claimed that, at that time, he would not be retiring from international football.

Jesus became visibly annoyed on Friday as journalists pressed him about that dispute.

“All my decisions were made with the team in mind,” he said. “As a manager, I have always defended what was best for the team. I am at peace with my decision.”

Ronaldo had been an unused substitute against Norway on 27 September, so his final international appearance was three days earlier, in a 1-0 win over Wales in Lisbon.

That took his international record to 146 goals from 234 games for Portugal, both men’s world records, since making his debut in 2003. He also helped his country win Euro 2016.

While Jesus said he had not contacted Ronaldo since his announcement, the president of the Portuguese Football Federation (PFF) pledged to honour the former Real Madrid and Manchester United forward.

“No tribute will ever be enough to thank him for everything he has done for Portuguese football, for Portugal,” said Pedro Proenca.

“The best way to honour and celebrate him is to honour his boundless ambition, to always play to win, to never be afraid of being the best in the world.

“Thank you for everything, captain. This is and always will be your home.”

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