Cristiano Ronaldo is extremely unhappy with the way his situation has been handled by head coach Jorge Jesus and the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), according to Record.
According to the Portuguese outlet, the dispute arose after an agreement previously reached between Ronaldo and Jorge Jesus before the international break was reportedly breached. Initially, the 41-year-old captain and the coach had agreed that Ronaldo would play in both of Portugal’s home matches.
However, Jorge Jesus changed his plans and asked the forward to also be available for the match against Norway, with the understanding that he would be brought on during the second half.
In the end, that substitution never happened, and the Portuguese superstar watched the entire match from the bench. The coaching staff justified the decision by citing tactical demands dictated by the flow of the game.
Ronaldo is reportedly very unhappy with the way the situation was handled and with the coach’s failure to keep his promise.
According to Record, the 41-year-old has requested a face-to-face meeting with Jorge Jesus and FPF officials in order to clarify the situation and ensure that he remains an important part of the Portugal national team’s project.
Ronaldo had not remained on the bench for the full 90 minutes in a Portugal match since 2008, giving the situation surrounding the Norway game even greater significance.
