Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus has addressed Cristiano Ronaldo’s decision to retire from international football, insisting that he has no regrets over the decisions he made while working with the legendary forward.
Jesus, who previously worked with Ronaldo at club level, said their time together was a happy period, during which they also won a title.
Speaking about Ronaldo’s international retirement, the coach said he could not speak for the former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward, insisting that the decision was best explained by Ronaldo himself.
“I don’t know. You should ask him,” Jesus said.
He maintained that his decisions as a coach were guided by the interests of his team and the Portuguese national team, stressing that he would not change anything about how he handled the situation.
“I wouldn’t change absolutely nothing. I made a decision as a coach, putting the interests of my team and the Portuguese national team first,” he stated.
Jesus further dismissed suggestions that his actions contributed to Ronaldo’s decision to step away from international football, insisting that he did nothing to cause the situation.
“I’m convinced that I didn’t do anything to cause what happened,” he added.
The coach disclosed that he had expected Ronaldo to return and had even considered calling him up as part of Portugal’s Nations League project.
According to him, he respected the striker’s decision to end his international career, noting that the development was something that would eventually happen.
“Of course I thought he would come back, of course I thought about calling him up, but I have to respect his decision. He decided that it was time to leave the national team. Sooner or later, it had to happen,” Jesus said.
He also dismissed any suggestion of personal bitterness or resentment towards Ronaldo, explaining that he had expected the forward to remain part of the national team’s plans.
Jesus revealed that he learnt about Ronaldo’s decision through the same video announcement that was made public, stressing that he had no prior knowledge of the development.
“I found out about his decision just like everyone else, through his video. I had no prior knowledge of anything,” he said.
