Cristiano Ronaldo used more than 1,700 words to explain why he had stepped away from the Portuguese national team in such spectacular fashion. The manager who inspired his hasty climb-down, Jorge Jesus, needed little more than a handful of words to offer his response.
Caught arriving at his home in Portugal by local broadcaster CMTV on Tuesday night, Jesus was quizzed about Ronaldo’s blockbuster statement. “I was in Leiria watching the U-21 national team match,” the head coach, who was not once mentioned by name in Ronaldo’s tirade, shrugged while leaning out of his car window. “Now I’m going to read Cristiano’s statement.”
