I took him off 16 times: Jorge Jesus warns Cristiano Ronaldo (video) | OneFootball

Jorge Jesus addressed for the first time how he intends to manage Cristiano Ronaldo in the national team. Portugal’s new head coach assured that the captain will continue to be treated like any other player, stressing that all decisions will be made with Portugal’s best interests in mind.

Speaking to journalists, the former Sporting coach revealed that he has not yet spoken to the forward, but dismissed any issue surrounding their relationship: "I still haven’t spoken to Cris. He will never be a problem for the national team or for me. When I have to make any decision, I will speak to him. But not only with him, I will speak to everyone individually. I’m not going to speak to Cris because he is Cris. He is a symbol of Portuguese football, of the national team, of Portugal," he said.

Jorge Jesus also made a point of highlighting the experience he had alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr. "It was a great pleasure to work with him this year. He is extremely easy to work with, as long as I understand how far he can go and how far I can go. It’s the coach-player relationship. From there, the conversations will be easy," he explained.

The new head coach, however, made it clear that the forward’s continuity will always depend on his physical condition and the level of performance he shows. "He will always be the one to decide what he wants to do with his career. If he is playing and is fit to play, if he is eligible for selection, I will call him up, within the limits and conditions that I believe are best for the national team," he assured.

To reinforce the point, Jorge Jesus recalled how he managed Cristiano Ronaldo last season at Al Nassr. "Last year, Al Nassr played 50 matches and he played 31. In the league, I substituted him 16 times. We never confused who he is, the player, with who I am, the coach, and the decisions I have to make," he concluded.

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