Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo can return to the squad if he wishes, despite walking out on his teammates, national team coach Jorge Jesus said on Sunday. The Portuguese showed they did not need the former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward as they became the first side to qualify for the quarterfinals of the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League with a 2-1 comeback win against Norway. Goncalo Ramos secured the victory for his side in the 86th minute after Joao Cancelo’s powerful finish had levelled Kristoffer Ajer’s stunning opener from outside the penalty area for World Cup quarterfinalists Norway. After the game, Jesus said he was prepared to allow 41-year-old Ronaldo to return to the national team but that it would have to be the player’s decision. “For me, Cris, in the next call-up, if he’s playing at Al-Nassr, he’ll be a player who can be called up,” Jesus told reporters, referring to Ronaldo’s Saudi club side. “If he wants to, he’ll return to the national team.” The coach said he would speak with Ronaldo if he wished before Portugal’s next matches in November. “If he wants to, as we did before this call-up, we talked before the call-up; we can talk before the next call-up,” continued Jesus. “But Cris is the one who’s going to decide.” Ronaldo walked out of the national-team camp on Wednesday after a dispute over his selection by Jesus, leaving his international future in doubt.
Portugal’s leading goalscorer and most-capped player, Ronaldo was substituted in the Nations League opener against Wales on September 24. He was then an unused substitute in the 2-1 victory in Norway on September 27. When he was informed he would again be named on the bench for the match in Denmark, Ronaldo took a private flight back to Saudi Arabia. Portugal went on to win 4-2 in Denmark on Thursday, while rumours swirled about Ronaldo’s departure and whether he would play for the national team again.
Ronaldo’s international teammate, Bruno Fernandes, spoke to the media on Saturday in the buildup to the return match against Norway in an attempt to settle a growing furore in Portugal about the matter. “He has a reserved place not only among the best of all time, but also in the hearts of all Portuguese people, and the most important thing is that we stop dividing things,” Fernandes said. “There are no divisions in the national team. It is one and will remain so, despite any noise that may come from outside… “We are outside of this controversy, but what I ask is that the country does not divide itself, does not make choices, that it respects all sides, but at the same time, Cris is and will be the biggest icon of our national team; he deserves everyone’s respect, regardless of who likes him more or [who likes him] less.” Jesus had said he would speak about Ronaldo after Sunday’s match with Norway, but added in the buildup to the game that the forward is a “symbol of Portugal”. The 72-year-old coach went on to say on Sunday that he had told Ronaldo he needed him in the squad for his first games at the helm after replacing Roberto Martinez following the 2026 World Cup. “Cristiano should end his time in the national team the way he wants; he’s the one who will decide how he wants it,” Jesus said. “That’s how we talked, the two of us – I said, ‘I need you’. In my first call-up, I said, ‘I need you, I need you to be close to me, playing or not playing, I need you’.
And now I’m saying the same thing.” Ronaldo, who made his Portugal debut in 2003 at the age of 18, has said this will “probably” be his final year in football. The forward has been a fixture of the national team for more than two decades and has played at six World Cups. Portugal host Denmark in their next international on November 14, before completing their Nations League group in Wales on November 17. Ronaldo’s longtime rival for the title of the world’s best player, Lionel Messi, will play his final match for Argentina in a friendly against Benin in Buenos Aires on Tuesday.
