Ronaldo-Jesus row cannot divide Portugal, says Fernandes

Bruno Fernandes says Portugal's players, staff and fans cannot allow the row between Cristiano Ronaldo and Jorge Jesus to divide them.

Earlier this week, Ronaldo abruptly left Portugal's camp amid reports that he was disgruntled with Jesus making him an unused substitute during a 2-1 Nations League win in Norway, saying he would tell his side of the story in due course.

Jesus has refused to go into detail about his disagreement with Ronaldo, only saying that he would never allow any player to dictate his decisions as a coach.

Without Ronaldo, Fernandes wore the captain's armband for the Selecao on Thursday, as they earned an entertaining 4-2 win over Denmark.

They have won each of their first three games in Nations League Group A4, with some supporters asking whether their attacking play is more fluid without the 41-year-old.

Since the start of 2025, Portugal have won 80% of their matches when Ronaldo has not appeared (P5 W4 D1), compared to 59% when he has featured (P17 W10 D4 L3), also averaging almost twice as many goals per game without Ronaldo (3.4) than with him (1.9).

But Fernandes, a former club-mate of Ronaldo's at Manchester United, says people should avoid taking sides amid the controversy.

His main concerns are that those who remain in the Portugal camp stay united, and that Ronaldo is remembered as Portugal's greatest-ever player if his international career is over.

"I had a conversation with Cristiano, and what I told him, which I'll repeat here, is this: 'The most important thing is that, regardless of what happens, Cristiano Ronaldo will never cease to be the greatest symbol of our national team, of our football, and of the country,'" Fernandes told reporters on Saturday.

"He has a reserved place not only among the best of all time, but also in the hearts of all Portuguese people, and the most important thing is that we stop dividing things.

"[The players] are outside this controversy, but what I ask is that the country does not divide itself, does not make choices and respects all sides.

"But, at the same time, Cristiano is and will be the biggest icon of our national team. He deserves everyone's respect, regardless of who likes him more or less."

Ronaldo's 146 goals in 234 caps are the most by any male player in international football history, and he and great rival Lionel Messi became the first players to play at six different editions of the World Cup this year.

But while Messi led Argentina to a second straight final, scoring eight times and becoming the first player to start three showpiece matches at FIFA's flagship tournament, Ronaldo was restricted to three goals – a group-stage brace against Uzbekistan and a penalty against Croatia in the round of 32.

That spot-kick is the only goal Ronaldo has ever scored in a knockout-stage match at the World Cup, with his other 10 goals at the tournament coming in the group stage. 

Porto's Estadio do Dragao will be the venue for Portugal's reverse fixture against Norway on Sunday, with Stale Solbakken's team only having three points on the board so far.