Jorge Jesus: "I thought Cristiano would come back"

Jorge Jesus said he planned to call up Cristiano Ronaldo and spoke of the "strong friendship" they built at Al Nassr.

"I thought Cristiano would come back"

Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus said Friday that he thought "Cristiano would come back" to the national team, but the player announced his retirement after disagreements with the coach, who said he respects that decision.

"Of course I thought (Cristiano Ronaldo) would come back, I thought I would call him up, talk to him. But I have to respect it. He decided it was time to leave the national team. Sooner or later it had to happen," Jesus said at a press conference held at the Cidade do Futebol complex in Oeiras, on the outskirts of Lisbon.

The coach recalled that Cristiano "was playing, was scoring goals" with his club, Saudi side Al Nassr.

"There is no resentment"

Jesus also said he does not know "how to answer why he made that decision" and assured that he learned of the retirement at the same time as the rest of the public.

"Until that moment I knew nothing," he said.

Regarding the conflict he had with the now former Portugal captain, Jesus stated that "there is no resentment" and highlighted the "strong friendship" he built with the former Real Madrid forward last season at Al Nassr.

The head coach also assured that he would not change anything about his actions.

"I made a decision as a coach. A decision thinking about my team, about the Portuguese national team. I am aware that I did nothing to make this happen," he explained.

"I don't feel guilty about anything," he added.

Cristiano Ronaldo's retirement

Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, abruptly left the Portugal camp without prior notice on September 30 due to disagreements with Jorge Jesus, after not playing in the match against Norway, played in Oslo on the 27th of that same month (1-2).

According to Cristiano, the reason for the disagreement was that Jesus made him warm up for half an hour and then did not bring him on.

The player was sanctioned with a 30-day suspension and a fine of 255 euros. The suspension period had already ended, so he could be called up again, but on Thursday he announced his retirement from the national team in a video he shared on his social media.

The video was shown in the room before the press conference and the announcement of the squad by the head coach. EFE