Proença open to Ronaldo return: “An icon, here whenever the boss wants” | OneFootball

Pedro Proença, president of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), addressed Cristiano Ronaldo’s future with the national team after Portugal’s 2-1 victory over Norway at the Estádio do Dragão on matchday four of the Nations League. While expressing satisfaction with Jorge Jesus’s tenure and acknowledging the need to resolve a misunderstanding with the captain internally, he left the door open for Ronaldo to continue and insisted: “Cristiano Ronaldo is part of our heritage and will be here whenever the coach wants him.”

The victory provided the backdrop for two distinct messages from Pedro Proença: confidence in the team’s direction and restraint over questions about Ronaldo. In the aftermath of the match, the FPF president highlighted the results of the new era but left the resolution of an issue he declined to explain publicly to discussions between the federation, the coach and the player.

On Jorge Jesus’s present and future, Proença offered a positive assessment. He attributed the results to the quality of the players, the work of the new coaching staff and the FPF’s support, also highlighting the Portuguese public’s renewed confidence in the national team.

“Jorge Jesus’s present and future? Very satisfied with this new era. A new coach and approach. The results speak for themselves. Twenty-five outstanding players, a new coaching staff and the first national team to qualify for the quarter-finals. We feel the Portuguese people believe in our national team again,” he said. “It is down to the players, the new coaching staff and the support of the FPF. Portuguese football has everything it needs to win, with absolutely extraordinary generations of players. This was the record we had promised, with just 14 days together. These are highly capable players. Let’s put the record on the table: four games, four wins, the first team to qualify.”

In the president’s view, the start of the new era already offers reasons for optimism: victories, qualification and a national team capable of rallying the Portuguese public once again. That positive assessment did not, however, sideline the subject that called for greater caution in his answers: Cristiano Ronaldo’s situation.

Asked about the captain, Proença declined to discuss the substance of conversations between the coach and the player. At the same time, he combined recognition of Ronaldo’s career with a condition for his place in the national team: sporting merit and the ability to contribute to the squad.

“Cristiano Ronaldo? I’m not going to provide those explanations. Normal conversations between coaches and players are not something the president gets involved in. He is the best player of all time and has given so much over two decades. We have to pay tribute to him. Cristiano Ronaldo is in the national team on sporting merit. That must be beyond question. He will be part of this group whenever he is capable from a footballing standpoint. He knows that; he knows that is our thinking. We are dealing with a misunderstanding that needs to be resolved in-house,” he explained. “The players have shown their deep bond with the captain. He is part of the national team, he is our standard-bearer, the captain from the very first game. The coach has made it clear that he is counting on him as long as he is physically fit. He is a Portuguese icon, an extraordinary player. He could have retired, but chose not to out of love for the national team. I have witnessed his bond with the Portuguese people and the national team. We will have the time and calm needed to resolve a misunderstanding. These things are resolved between the three parties: the FPF, the coach and the player. Cristiano Ronaldo is part of our heritage and will be here whenever the coach wants him.”

Further questioning on the subject also brought a question about leaving the competition and the rules within the squad. Proença rejected the suggestion that there were no rules and again said the matter would be resolved internally, highlighting the relationship between Jorge Jesus and Ronaldo.

“Leaving the competition as an example, and a team without rules? No. These dynamics arise within the group, and the FPF resolves matters in-house,” he stressed. “There is a strong relationship between Jorge Jesus and Ronaldo. Otherwise, he would already have left the national team. We want everyone to be back together with our national team in November.”

Proença did not offer a public solution to the misunderstanding, but he identified where he expects to find one: between the FPF, Jorge Jesus and Cristiano Ronaldo. The tribute to the captain does not replace the sporting criteria; it sits alongside them, in a message that keeps open the possibility of his continued involvement and signals a desire to bring the group together again in November.

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