The coach of the Portuguese national football team, Jorge Jesus, declared himself surprised today by the retirement of star Cristiano Ronaldo from the Portuguese team, even though he himself is perhaps the main person responsible for that drastic decision.
“I thought he would come back. I certainly intended to call him up,” Jesus said when announcing his Nations League squad on Friday.
The striker’s last appearance for Portugal was on September 24, in the 1-0 home win over Wales. He then remained on the bench for the following match, and Jesus indicated he had no plans to start him in the next game, so the player left the training camp.
“He felt this was the right time to leave, and that must be respected. We can never overlook what he has meant to Portugal, what he has contributed to the country, or the fact that he serves as a symbol for younger players,” the coach noted.
However, many missed these words of encouragement a month ago when he didn’t hesitate to give Cristiano Ronaldo’s historic number 7 shirt to another player at the first opportunity.
In addition, the 41-year-old striker was fined and suspended from the team for 30 days by the Portuguese Federation, which indicated the day before that it intends to organize a tribute to Cristiano, who played in six World Cups and won the 2016 European Championship.
