Portugal coach Jorge Jesus has said the controversy surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo’s unused warm-up against Norway grew largely because of the forward’s status as a national icon.
Speaking after Portugal’s Nations League match on Sunday, Jesus said the issue had been exaggerated and should not affect his relationship with the veteran striker.
As reported by Fabrizio Romano on X on Monday, Jesus said: “In my opinion, you can’t hold a one-year friendship against someone over a situation that is difficult to understand,” Jesus stated.
He added: “Just because it was him. Just because it was him, and perhaps rightly so, because he is a symbol, this whole issue of warming up and not warming up, coming on and not coming on, has been created.”
Jesus noted that players are regularly asked to warm up without eventually being brought onto the pitch, but such incidents rarely attract attention.
“How many players warmed up today and didn’t come on? How many? Is there going to be a problem with any of them? No.”
The comments followed Ronaldo’s departure from Portugal’s training camp last week after the team defeated Norway 2-1. The 41-year-old was instructed to warm up for an extended period during the second half but was not introduced.
Ronaldo had started Portugal’s previous match against Wales before being substituted.
Jesus, who previously coached Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, has repeatedly described the incident as a misunderstanding rather than a permanent breakdown in their relationship.
The coach has also kept the possibility of Ronaldo returning to future Portugal squads open, saying the situation could be resolved if the captain wants to continue representing the national team.
Jesus maintained that the interests of the team come first and that decisions regarding substitutions and other match-day matters remain his responsibility.