Portugal coach Jorge Jesus has left the door open for Cristiano Ronaldo to return to the national team, despite the veteran forward walking out of the squad last week.
Portugal became the first team to secure a place in the Nations League quarter-finals after beating Norway without Ronaldo, advancing with two group matches still to play.
The result came amid growing uncertainty over Ronaldo’s future with the national team. The 41-year-old was left on the bench during Portugal’s first meeting with Norway, before leaving the squad on Wednesday after being informed he would not start against Denmark.
Despite the fallout, Jesus insisted Ronaldo remains part of his plans if the Al-Nassr forward wants to continue playing for Portugal.
“For me, Cris, in the next call-up, if he’s playing at Al-Nassr, he’ll be a player who can be called up,” Jesus told reporters. “If he wants to, he’ll return to the national team.”
Jesus also indicated that he would be willing to speak with Ronaldo before Portugal’s next matches in November, just as they did before the current international window.
“If he wants to, as we did before this call-up, we talked before the call-up, we can talk before the next call-up,” he said. “But Cris is the one who’s going to decide.”
The coach, who replaced Roberto Martinez following the 2026 World Cup, said he had already made his position clear to Ronaldo when taking charge. Jesus said he wanted the former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward around the team regardless of whether he was selected to play.
“Cristiano should end his time in the national team the way he wants,” Jesus said. “He’s the one who will decide how he wants it.”
Ronaldo made his Portugal debut in 2003 as an 18-year-old and has since become the country’s most-capped player and all-time leading scorer. He has appeared at six World Cups and has suggested that 2026 will “probably” be his final year as a professional footballer.
His international future therefore remains tied not only to his relationship with Jesus but also to his own decision over when to bring a remarkable Portugal career to an end.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo’s longtime rival Lionel Messi is also approaching the end of his international career, with Argentina preparing for what has been described as Messi’s final match for the country against Benin in Buenos Aires on Tuesday.
