Villas-Boas backs coach, pleads: “Ronaldo’s story can’t end like this” | OneFootball

André Villas-Boas, president of FC Porto, spoke about the controversy surrounding the National Team and Cristiano Ronaldo’s situation during a visit to Chaves, where he marked the silver jubilee and the 25th anniversary of the city’s FC Porto Supporters’ House. The official defended the authority of whoever leads the team, but called for a solution worthy of the Portuguese captain’s career. On technical decisions, he assured: “the coach’s voice is sovereign”.

On an issue that goes beyond club boundaries, André Villas-Boas sought to balance two fronts: non-negotiable respect for the coach’s choices and recognition of Cristiano Ronaldo’s stature. Without ignoring the impact of the situation, he made it clear that the dressing-room hierarchy must prevail.

The blue-and-white president began by acknowledging that the case has not gone unnoticed in the country. Even so, he refused to call into question the principle of the coach’s authority.

“No Portuguese citizen is indifferent to what happened,” he admitted. “First of all, I believe that all decisions made by a coach are sovereign, whether they are more or less justified,” he said.

Villas-Boas also noted that, “in the eyes of the players,” such decisions “always seem more difficult to understand”.

“The coach’s voice is sovereign,” he stressed, adding that “this is how it should be in clubs and also in national teams”.

His position is unequivocal: understanding the reaction of those who play does not mean taking power away from those who decide. For Villas-Boas, managing a dressing room rests on a chain of command that players must recognize.

That principle, however, did not stop the official from highlighting Cristiano Ronaldo’s sporting and symbolic weight. The FC Porto president believes that the stature of the captain of the national team requires a different outcome to the controversy.

“Of course, when it comes to a player of Cristiano Ronaldo’s stature and everything he has done for the country and the National Team, the story cannot end this way,” he argued.

Villas-Boas now places his expectations on the federation officials, from whom he requested a solution to the case.

“I hope for a good resolution to the case from those responsible at the Portuguese Football Federation, whose leading figure is president Pedro Proença,” he said.

The official then returned to Ronaldo’s legacy, linking the player’s contribution to the National Team with the value of his profile for Portugal.

“Everything Ronaldo has given to Portugal and the National Team, as well as the value of his brand for the country, is very valuable,” he concluded.

Even in that defense, Villas-Boas made no exception to the dressing-room rule: “in dressing-room life, the coach’s voice is in charge” and “it is up to the players to accept his decisions”. Between respect for hierarchy and recognition of a singular career, the request was ultimately left in the hands of the Portuguese Football Federation.

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