"His Past Doesn't Matter".. Jesus Sets One Condition for Ronaldo's Participation with Portugal

- Jorge Jesus, the head coach of the Portugal national team, has called up Cristiano Ronaldo to the squad for the upcoming international break. Ronaldo's teammates will face Wales and Denmark on September 24, 27, and October 1 in the UEFA Nations League.

In statements reported by the "TNT SPORTS" network on Saturday, Jesus said about the 41-year-old's call-up to his national team: "His performance, his past, doesn't matter; what matters is his entire history, and thus his performance, like that of anyone else, will tell me the decisions I need to make in matches and training." He added: "Ronaldo is a player like any other; if he performs well, he plays, and if he doesn't perform well, he doesn't play. This is my approach with everyone, not just because he is Chris."

Jorge Jesus continued: "Does Chris have a different status? His career is different; he has won five Ballon d'Or awards, but does that affect my decisions? No, it doesn't affect them at all, but he is different from others, of course." Cristiano Ronaldo has previously played under Jesus at Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, and they won the "Roshn" League title together for the 2026/2025 season.

Ronaldo is considered one of the most capped players in international matches with 233 appearances, having scored 146 goals and provided 45 assists.