Portugal: Ex-Chelsea Star Reveals What Ronaldo Must Accept

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Former Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley has backed Jorge Jesus amid the ongoing controversy involving Cristiano Ronaldo and the Portugal national team coach.

The former Scotland international also argued that Ronaldo should no longer occupy the role of Portugal’s leading striker at his current age.

Ahead of Portugal’s UEFA Nations League encounter with Denmark, Ronaldo attracted attention after leaving the national team’s training camp.

The 41-year-old subsequently issued a statement promising to reveal the “truth” surrounding his departure to his supporters.

Commentator Edu Aguirre later reported on El Chiringuito TV that Jesus had damaged the trust of the Portugal captain by failing to fulfil a commitment made to the forward.

Jesus’ comments during a press conference were also said to have angered Ronaldo, leading to his decision to leave the camp.

Burley said Jesus made the right call by refusing to give in to the demands of the Al-Nassr forward, unlike his predecessor, Roberto Martinez.

The former Chelsea player argued that, from an analytical standpoint, a striker aged over 40 should not be the primary forward for a major European football nation such as Portugal.

While acknowledging Ronaldo’s ambition and determination to continue playing at the highest level at this stage of his career, Burley stressed that the player needs to understand the reasoning behind Jesus’ decision.

Speaking on ESPN FC, Burley said, “Roberto Martinez bowed to him, which we all knew was going to happen. It looked like Jorge Jesus was going to go the same way. But he’s obviously seen something and he’s made a decision. I’m all for that [decision].

“I’ve been banging this drum for quite some time now. Not because, as Ronaldo fans seem to think, we all hate him. It’s just a fact. When you analyse any team, any player, you have to analyse objectively.

“And the objective analysis from the mainstream was that a guy in his 40s can’t continue to lead the line for one of the supposed major countries in European football, if not the world.

“He [Ronaldo] was never really going to make that decision. He is dedicated to it, does have a great attitude, he is, in his head, still the main guy, but he’s not. This is not Ronaldo at 28 years old, not 25 years old, or even 32; this is him in his 40s. He’s going to have to s*ck this up.”

Portugal went on to defeat Denmark 4-2 without Ronaldo, with goals from Joao Cancelo, Goncalo Ramos, Vitinha and Joao Felix securing the victory.

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