Peace summit: Pedro Proença's plan to bring Ronaldo back to Portugal | OneFootball

Pedro Proença, president of the Portuguese Football Federation, believes Cristiano Ronaldo could still return to the national team and is preparing to intervene in the dispute between the captain and Jorge Jesus. The plan is to reopen dialogue, calm tensions, and prevent the Madeira-born forward’s international career from ending after his abrupt departure last Wednesday. The reconciliation attempt comes at a time of growing public criticism of the national team coach.

The episode began after Cristiano Ronaldo heard Jorge Jesus’s remarks at the press conference previewing the third matchday of the Nations League group stage, before Portugal’s 2-4 win over Denmark at Parken. It is in this rupture scenario that Pedro Proença intends to take on the role of mediator, without treating as definitive a rift that has already gone beyond the walls of the Portuguese Football Federation.

According to the newspaper A Bola, the former referee wants to bring the coach and the captain closer again, also involving other federation officials in an intervention that should move forward very soon. The intention is to create the conditions for a new dialogue and allow Cristiano Ronaldo to be available again to Jorge Jesus in the not-too-distant future.

Pedro Proença does not accept that the player’s journey with the national team should end this way, considering what he represents for football and for the country. For the federation’s leadership, the case is not closed: before discussing a possible return to the team, it will be necessary to reduce the tension between the main figures involved.

Meanwhile, criticism of the national team coach has become public. Some fans put up banners in Oeiras, in front of the City of Football, and in Lisbon, near the Estádio da Luz and Humberto Delgado Airport.

“Thank you, Cristiano Ronaldo. For everything you have done for Portugal, you will always be our captain,” read one of the messages, which has since been removed.

The same protest accused Jorge Jesus of not having been “up to the occasion.” It also pointed to a “lack of sensitivity in the handling of the CR7 asset,” “treating a captain the wrong way,” and an “inflated ego.”

The banners took the conflict outside the Federation and showed that the management of Cristiano Ronaldo’s status has also come to dominate the reaction of some fans. Pressure on the coach is therefore no longer limited to sporting decisions and results.

The atmosphere of protest was felt again when Jorge Jesus arrived at Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport. A fan directed harsh criticism at the 72-year-old coach and compared him directly with Cristiano Ronaldo.

“You’re worthless, JJ! You’re a disgrace, man! Your ego is the size of the Eiffel Tower, man! You’re not worth one of CR7’s nails, the smallest toenail on his foot, man! You’re worth nothing, man!” he shouted. “The greatest Portuguese athlete of all time, man! You’re a disgrace! Knock some sense into that head! Hold another press conference saying you’re the greatest, man! Today I’m going to put you on top of the Clérigos Tower, so your ego can swell even more.”

The verbal violence of the protest exposes the degree of polarization caused by the captain’s departure. It is in this climate that Pedro Proença intends to intervene, trying to contain a conflict that now involves far more than just its direct protagonists.

Despite the controversy, Portugal has an immediate sporting decision ahead. The national team will host Norway at the Estádio do Dragão next Sunday from 7:45 p.m. in the fourth matchday of the Nations League group stage.

A new victory will guarantee automatic qualification for the quarter-finals. A draw could also be enough, provided the same result does not occur in the match between Wales and Norway.

If none of those combinations secures qualification now, the decision will be postponed until the final two matchdays, against Denmark and Wales, on 14 and 17 November respectively. Between competitive urgency and the reconciliation plan, the national team is entering a moment in which the result on the pitch and the management of the crisis will inevitably move forward side by side.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.