Ronaldo’s retirement shocked me – Portugal Coach Jesus

By Tosin Omojola

Portugal coach Jorge Jesus said he had no prior knowledge of Cristiano Ronaldo’s decision to retire from international football, insisting he “found out when we all did”.

The 41-year-old forward announced his retirement in an Instagram video on Thursday, a day before Jesus was due to name his squad for Portugal’s Nations League fixtures this month.

Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Jesus said Ronaldo had not informed him before the announcement and was among the players he planned to select.

“I found out when we all did. Until then, I knew nothing about it. He was playing, he was scoring goals; he was one of the players on my squad list”, Jesus said.

Ronaldo became eligible for selection again after serving a 30-day suspension, during which Portugal had no fixtures.

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

He later accused Jesus of having “broken his word” but admitted he deserved punishment for leaving the camp early. Ronaldo also insisted at the time that he had no intention of retiring from international football.

Jesus appeared visibly frustrated on Friday as journalists questioned him about the disagreement.