Jesus on Ronaldo’s Absence: I No Longer Miss Him

Al-Taj News – Jorge Jesus, the head coach of the Portuguese national football team, downplayed the impact of the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, the team’s former captain, following the heavy 1-4 loss against Denmark on Saturday evening in the fifth round of the UEFA Nations League for the 2026-2027 season.

Jesus said, in statements to the Portuguese newspaper “A Bola”, in response to a question about whether he misses Ronaldo: “Do I miss him? He has left, so why would I miss him? Perhaps only to keep me company, but he no longer plays, he is no longer here, and he has made his decision regarding his future.”

The coach’s statements came following the loss against Denmark, in the first match played by the Portuguese national team after Ronaldo announced his retirement from international play on November 5, following a dispute with Jesus after being excluded from the Norway match during the previous international break, which ended with Portugal winning 2-1.

The match witnessed a tribute to Ronaldo before kick-off, as his former teammates wore national team jerseys bearing the number 7 in appreciation of his international career, but the Portuguese national team delivered a lackluster performance at the Braga stadium amid boos from the fans who were awaiting a celebration of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the continental tournament.

Pierre-Emile Højbjerg scored the opening goal for Denmark from a penalty kick in the 43rd minute, before Rasmus Højlund added the second and third goals in the 50th and 57th minutes, then Joachim Andersen scored the fourth goal in the 75th minute, while Bernardo Silva scored Portugal’s only goal in stoppage time.