Portugal manager Jorge Jesus left the door open for Cristiano Ronaldo to return to the national team. Ronaldo had left the squad after remaining on the bench and not coming on in the 2-1 Nations League win away to Norway on September 27. The 41-year-old forward, who has scored 146 goals in 234 appearances for his country, won the Ballon d’Or 5 times and plays for Al Nassr, had said he would reveal the facts about his future when the time was right. Following Sunday’s 2-1 victory over Norway, Jesus said the decision belonged to Ronaldo and that the team still needed him. Ronaldo had confirmed on Instagram that he left the camp after meeting with Pedro Proenca and holding a press conference. In the player’s absence, Portugal beat Denmark 4-2 and defeated Norway to sit top of Group Four with 12 points.
Why it matters
The two victories achieved in Ronaldo’s absence show that Portugal has maintained its group lead and that the team’s capacity to produce results in the short term has not been directly affected by this decision. However, Jorge Jesus’s statement that the team still needs the player shows that the national team has not completely ruled out the contribution of the experienced footballer. For this reason, the issue is not merely whether a player will return to the squad, but also how Ronaldo’s role within the national team will be reshaped through tactical decisions. Leaving the decision to Ronaldo shows that the determining factor regarding the timing and conditions of his return has not yet been clarified, while the question of when the footballer will make his statement about his future remains open.