“Cristiano Ronaldo’s grumbling is over.” According to the Portuguese press, including “O Jogo,” which ran a front-page story with this headline, the… drama surrounding the Portuguese star has come to a happy ending.
Frustrated because he warmed up but did not take the field in Sunday’s 2-1 victory over Norway, the Al-Nassr forward did not train on Tuesday, creating a crisis within the Portuguese national team, which is now led by Jorge Jesus.
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The former Manchester United and Real Madrid player reportedly complained to his coach that he had not kept his promise to play him in the final 30 minutes of the match. The two men met late at night at the team’s hotel in Malmö, Sweden, to clear the air. There, Portugal is preparing for its next match against Denmark on Thursday at 9:45 p.m. in the Nations League.
According to “A Bola,” the discussion “went well and left a positive impression, which may help ease the tension that has persisted since the match against Norway.” Following the important victory in Norway, Jorge Jesus explained why he did not use the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, whom he had also substituted in the previous match against Wales, which ended in a 1-0 victory.
“I had agreed with him that he would come on for the last half-hour, but the way the game unfolded didn’t call for it,” he had said.
“Gonzalo Ramos was playing well, he scored, he had another goal disallowed, and I decided it wasn’t the right time to substitute him. Ronaldo was in excellent form and could have played for as long as I wanted. We needed to bring in another player to ensure balance and secure the result. That doesn’t mean he’s out of the picture—quite the opposite. He might play against Denmark.”
“CR7,” visibly annoyed, did not join his teammates in their celebrations after the match ended. On Tuesday, he showed up at the stadium for practice but ultimately did not participate and returned to the hotel to work out in the gym.
*photo source: AP
