Portugal coach: No disagreement with Ronaldo and no need for fuss

Portugal national team coach Jorge Jesus on Wednesday denied any disagreement between him and captain Cristiano Ronaldo, despite the latter feeling disappointed at being left on the bench during Portugal's victory over Norway in the UEFA Nations League.

Speaking at a press conference on the eve of Thursday's match against Denmark in Copenhagen, Jesus said, 'Nothing happened at all,' adding that 'any player — and I was a player too — when you spend 20 or 30 minutes warming up and then don't play... no one is happy about that.'

The coach explained that he had told Ronaldo before the match that he would not be in the starting lineup, but that he might bring him on during the final minutes; he continued, 'After that, as a coach, I decided not to play him. There is no need to make a fuss about it.'

The former Benfica and Al-Nassr coach also said that Ronaldo did not refuse to take part in training, contrary to some Portuguese media reports, but instead did individual exercises related to 'movement' and 'muscle strengthening.'

Jesus added that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner would train normally on Wednesday, although Ronaldo did not join his teammates on the pitch in Copenhagen.

After Portugal's 2-1 win over Norway last Sunday in Oslo, Ronaldo went straight to the dressing room without joining his teammates to acknowledge Portuguese fans in the stands, a move that drew criticism from supporters and the Portuguese press.