Cristiano Ronaldo Returns to Al-Nassr as Piers Morgan Criticizes Portugal Manager

A smiling Cristiano Ronaldo has returned to Al-Nassr training after leaving the Portugal squad during the international break amid a reported dispute with head coach Jorge Jesus.

The Saudi Arabian club welcomed the forward back warmly after his departure became one of the main talking points surrounding the Portugal camp.

‘The GOAT in the heart of Najd, at Al Nassr’, the club posted on social media as Ronaldo arrived at its training centre.

Although Ronaldo has now returned his attention to Al-Nassr, his international future remains uncertain following his reported clash with Jesus.

The 41-year-old left Portugal’s camp after Jesus’s press conference last Wednesday, when the coach appeared to confirm that the forward would not start against Denmark in the Nations League.

The decision followed Ronaldo’s omission from the entire 2-1 victory over Norway last weekend, with the captain remaining on the bench throughout the match.

Broadcaster Piers Morgan has claimed the disagreement centred on promises made by Jesus, whom he compared to former Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag in describing him as the ‘[Erik] Ten Hag of international football’.

Ronaldo previously gave Morgan an explosive interview in 2022 that effectively brought his Manchester United career to an end, during which he said he did not respect the club’s then-manager Ten Hag.

Speaking on Sports Uncensored, Morgan alleged that Jesus tried to ‘belittle and embarrass Ronaldo’ after going back on an agreement over the forward’s playing time. 

‘What this goes down to is nothing about money or fame or any of these things,’ Morgan said.

‘He was given absolute guarantees about how he would be used, it was one of the reasons he decided to continue his international career.

‘The new guy Jorge Jesus, who knows him from Saudi Arabia, said to him with the Nations League, they agreed he would play the first two games and would be rested for the next two.

‘The first game he was told “you get 90 minutes” and he gets yanked after 67 minutes so he’s a bit p***ed off and afterwards the coach apologised to him and that he would go out and explain this shouldn’t have happened.

‘He goes out and does the opposite, he pulls a Ten Hag, where he goes out and tries to belittle and embarrass Ronaldo and put him back in his box and say “all the players are as important to me”, which also p***es off Ronaldo.

‘Then he goes to Ronaldo and says “I know we said you would be rested for the second two games, but I want you for 30 minutes against Norway”.

‘He went “okay, if that is what you want, I’ll do it”. He sits there and gets warmed up for 25 minutes and never gets on the pitch. So again he is p***ed off at the lack of respect.

‘For him it is a question of respect, being promised one thing then the opposite happening, being warmed up and not used. Eventually he went f*** you and got on a plane and left.

‘Does it sit well with you guys that Ronaldo might not get a farewell game for Portugal because a coach has decided he wants to be the big dog and humiliate him.’

Jesus has insisted Ronaldo could return in the next international break in November, saying: ‘As far as I’m concerned, everything is open.

‘It’s up to Cris to decide his own life. In the next call-up, if Cris is playing and wants to be in the national team, why not? 

‘Resentment? Nothing, it was a misunderstanding. In my opinion, it’s easy to resolve. When will I resolve it? I don’t know. The game is over, and only afterwards will we know how things will turn out.

‘It’s not up to me. To reach an agreement with two people, both people need to talk and agree. That’s not up to me.

‘Just because it was him, and perhaps rightly so because he’s a symbol, this whole problem of him coming on, warming up, not coming on. How many players warmed up today and didn’t come on? Will there be a problem? No. 

‘With Cris it’s different, he’s a symbol. But is it a problem? For me it wasn’t a problem. If Cris wants to and is playing for Al-Nassr, he’ll be in the next squad. We talked before this squad and we can talk before the next one. It’s Cris who will decide.’

ALSO READ: Biden-Era FBI Tracked Melania, Barron Trump and Susie Wiles’ Phone

The feud started when Ronaldo was left on the bench for Portugal’s win over Norway – the first time in 18 years he had missed the full 90 minutes for the national side barring injuries and suspensions.

Ronaldo said: ‘After the national team coach’s press conference, and following a conversation with the President of the Portuguese Football Federation, I have decided to leave the national team training camp.

‘In due time, I will tell all Portuguese people the truth about the reasons that led to my departure from the national team, to which I have always dedicated myself.

‘Now is the time to wish good luck to Portugal and to all my teammates.’

The tension seems to have boiled over following Jesus’ press conference. The manager said: ‘There was no incident whatsoever.

‘Any player – and I was a player myself – when you spend 20 or 30 minutes warming up and then don’t get on, no-one is happy about that.

‘Afterwards, as coach, I decided not to bring him on. It’s nothing to make a fuss about.

‘It’s not difficult for me to focus,’ he added. ‘You know what’s difficult for me? It’s not understanding what’s going on inside. It’s not knowing how to train my players. That’s what’s difficult for me. The rest… zero.

‘What’s important is what we have to do. The things that happen don’t separate the group, they haven’t separated us and they won’t separate us.’

Despite Ronaldo’s walkout and controversy over his departure from the camp, Jesus’s side won all four of the Nations League matches during the international break.

Ronaldo’s former Man United team-mate Rio Ferdinand has insisted Jesus needs to apologise to the star and claims the Portuguese Football Association have been ‘panicking’ after the rift.

‘The coach needs to come out and apologise,’ Ferdinand said on Rio Presents.

‘Trust me, I think he has to come out and say “listen I have judged this situation wrong”.

‘I am telling you, something has gone on, I am sure something has happened when you look between the lines.

‘The president has come out and they’ve done the “Cristiano is the best, he’s the greatest, he’s this and that and the other”.

‘They are trying to settle the situation, they are panicking behind the scenes now.

‘This situation doesn’t play out the way it has if there are good communication skills.

‘I think there has been terrible communication skills.

‘I said this during the World Cup with Roberto Martinez and I think the same with this manager now, you have to sit with Cristiano Ronaldo and tell him this is what I want to do. And if you don’t want to be a part of it, then just tell me, but this is how I want it to work.

‘That conversation I don’t believe has been had, because I don’t think you would be here with Cristiano going mid camp walking out like that.’

The international break had remarkably begun with Jesus and Ronaldo sat side-by-side at a press conference, where the former had labelled the star as a ‘symbol of Portugal’.

Ronaldo had revealed he had considered retiring from international football in the summer before deciding to continue, but would walk away if the national team told him he was no longer required. 

‘Whenever they say they don’t want me in the national team, I will be the first one to go,’ Ronaldo said.

‘When I think I am not adding anything to the team, or that I create an atmosphere, I will be the first to go. I will take my suitcase and leave. 

‘The Portuguese count on me, that’s why I’m still here, just look at the numbers, I’m sure you can make some calculations, I’m still doing well. 

‘The day they don’t count on me, no problem, I will leave. I will always be the No 1 fan of this federation.’