Jorge Jesus cites Neymar as he outlines stance on Cristiano at Portugal unveiling | OneFootball

Unveiled as Portugal head coach on Friday, Jorge Jesus said Cristiano Ronaldo would not be guaranteed a place and referenced previous dealings with Neymar.

According to Diario Do Peixe, he noted he has coached two of the three best players, Ronaldo and Neymar, not Messi, and said choices would be made for the good of the team and the national side. He also recalled telling Neymar the phrase Tu finish.

Jesus and Neymar were together at Al Hilal from August 2023 until shortly before the forward’s return to Santos. They arrived at the Saudi club around the same time. Neymar recorded one goal and three assists in 7 matches, then suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury on Brazil duty two months after his unveiling.

After the player recovered, Jesus opted not to register him for the Saudi league because of the foreign-player limit. He had expressed a wish to use him in the Asian Champions League, but Neymar’s camp were unhappy, leading to a contract termination and the forward’s move to Santos.

In January last year, Jesus said publicly that Neymar would not be physically ready.

Source: Diario Do Peixe