ไทย
English
中國人
Cristiano Ronaldo penned over 1,700 words to justify his dramatic departure from the Portuguese national squad. The coach whose actions prompted his swift reversal, Jorge Jesus, required only a few brief words to respond.
Caught by local broadcaster CMTV outside his home in Portugal on Tuesday evening, Jesus was pressed for his reaction to Ronaldo's lengthy statement. "I was in Leiria watching the U-21 national team game," said the head coach, who was never mentioned by name throughout Ronaldo's outburst, shrugging from his car window. "Now I'm going to sit down and read Cristiano's statement."
The next morning, back behind the wheel, Jesus had worked through the lengthy text. "I've read the statement and now, as I do every single day, I'm heading to federation headquarters to work and focus on the Portuguese national team," he said curtly. "I have nothing further to add."
The 72-year-old is not someone who buckles under pressure from any player. Jesus took the reins for the first of his 1,175 managerial matches when Ronaldo was just 4 years old. The decades that followed have given the tactician a thick enough hide to withstand even the most iconic figure in his country's history. As Ronaldo outlined in considerable detail, this was not the first occasion this autumn that Jesus had taken issue with his public remarks.
Timeline of Ronaldo's Stunning Portugal Exit
If this is the end, it wasn't meant to end this way. pic.twitter.com/IoHayRTesH
