Thought he'd return: Portugal coach on Cristiano Ronaldo's international retirement

India Today · India Today Sports Desk · 2026-11-06 14:48 UTC

Portugal coach Jorge Jesus admits he expected Cristiano Ronaldo to return to the national team despite their public fallout revealing he had planned to recall the Al-Nassr forward before the 41-year-old announced his international retirement

Portugal coach Jorge Jesus admits he expected Cristiano Ronaldo to return to the national team despite their public fallout, revealing he had planned to recall the Al-Nassr forward before the 41-year-old announced his international retirement.

Portugal coach Jorge Jesus admitted that he had expected Cristiano Ronaldo to continue playing international football despite their recent public falling out, revealing that he had intended to recall the veteran forward before the 41-year-old announced his retirement from the national team.

"I thought he would return. I certainly intended to call him up," Jesus said on Friday while announcing Portugal's squad for the Nations League, a day after Ronaldo confirmed that he was bringing an end to his illustrious international career.

Read the full story at India Today · All coverage of this story