Cristiano Ronaldo: I was the one who chose Jesus to lead Portugal | Goal.com

Veröffentlicht am 06 Oct 2026 | Lesezeit: 2 Minuten

Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that he helped pick Jorge Jesus to lead Portugal, stressing he had planned to retire from international football after the 2026 World Cup before the federation president talked him out of it.

The Portugal captain had found himself at the centre of a major crisis with Jesus, after the Don spent the entire Norway match on the substitutes' bench in the second round of the UEFA Nations League group stage.

Jesus poured fuel on the fire. He insisted he was "the one who makes the first and final decision on setting the lineup", and Ronaldo responded by walking out of the team's camp 24 hours before the Denmark match in the third round.

Speaking in a statement published by Spanish newspaper "AS" on Tuesday, Ronaldo said: "After the 2026 World Cup, I prepared a message to the Portuguese people, which I still keep, containing the words I want to address to them when I leave our national team for good".

He added: "At the end of the tournament, specifically on the return flight from the United States, the president of the Portuguese federation asked me and insisted that I reconsider my decision to retire from international football, because the federation wants me to continue".

The Don went on: "Right after that, he asked me for my opinion regarding the name of the national team's current coach, whom he was considering alongside other names he did not reveal to me. I answered the federation president that, in my view, I believed that would be the right decision".

Ronaldo signed off on the subject: "Therefore, on the day they presented the current coach, I felt genuine happiness about the choice. It was the right decision, as the results prove".

Jesus took charge of Portugal last July on a contract until 2030, succeeding Roberto Martinez. The Spaniard was sacked after a round-of-16 exit at the World Cup.

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