'I made a mistake' – Portugal boss Jorge Jesus breaks silence on Cristiano Ronaldo's bench sulk, FPF emergency talks

The atmosphere surrounding the Portuguese national team has grown increasingly tense ahead of their highly charged trip to Denmark. Despite making a perfect start to their Nations League campaign by leading Group 4 of League A following back-to-back victories over Wales (1-0) and Norway (2-1), the Selecao's build-up has been overshadowed by Ronaldo's frustration. At 41 years old and boasting 234 caps alongside 146 international goals, the veteran forward was reportedly unhappy after being left as an unused substitute against Norway.

Jesus admitted that his management of the warm-up routine contributed to the friction. 'It's true that I agreed with him, we developed a plan like with Bruno Fernandes, and I told Cris that he wouldn't play in either the match against Norway or the one against Denmark, because I've worked with Cris for a year,' the manager explained. 'I didn't just arrive in the national team three months ago to get to know Cris. I know Cris's physical capabilities perfectly well.'

Elaborating on how the situation unfolded during the match, Jesus revealed that game circumstances altered his original agreement with the captain. 'I'm not the kind of coach who, as soon as I sit on the bench, is already thinking about the 60th minute and the substitution I'm going to make,' he added. 'I had agreed with him that he wouldn't play the first two matches, but I thought during the match that I might need him in the final minutes. But the match dictated something else, and I didn't bring him on. That's the truth. During the match, I thought that I might need him and that he would warm up, and then I didn't bring him on.'

The veteran tactician conceded that asking Ronaldo to prepare for an entry that never materialized was a lapse in judgment. Having featured for 67 minutes in Portugal's opening 1-0 Nations League victory over Wales - courtesy of a Joao Felix strike - Ronaldo was left frustrated on the bench throughout the following match against Norway. Jesus noted that no player enjoys warming up without eventually crossing the white line, especially a competitor of Ronaldo's stature and relentless drive.

'No player is happy when they warm up for 20 or 30 minutes and then don't get played. Nobody's happy. Least of all Cris. What did I promise? Like I said, I wasn't going to bring him on, but I said before the match, "Cris, if I need you, you'll play 20 or 30 minutes," and he said, "Okay." Once he was on the pitch, I asked him to warm up in the 45th minute; I didn't know what I was going to do. That's where I made a mistake; I should have had him warm up about 15 minutes later. I didn't know what was going to happen, I started watching the game, and I didn't bring him on,' Jesus stated to the gathered media.

The situation became so delicate that Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proenca was forced to intervene directly. Proenca met with Ronaldo and Jesus on Tuesday night for clear-the-air talks aimed at ironing out their differences after the 41-year-old forward missed two consecutive training sessions.

'He didn't refuse to train. Francisco Conceicao, who was injured, and Joao Felix didn't train, and Cris did strength training. He did mobilization exercises on the pitch, then strengthening exercises at the hotel. He didn't refuse. He's going to train today. He didn't refuse to train. That's impossible. That's not Cris. Do you think a national team player would refuse to train?' Jesus remarked. He added regarding the president's visit: 'President Proenca spoke to Cris and me, because that's the role of a president. To speak to the captain, to the coach when there are rumors. If it hadn't been for this affair, he would still have come, but the three of us talked. I had already spoken to Cris after dinner. He didn't come to settle anything, because there was nothing to settle.'

Portugal enter the fixture as defending Champions League of Nations holders, having lifted their second Nations League title following a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over Spain in the previous tournament final. After facing Denmark on Thursday, the Selecao will wrap up the current international break by hosting Norway on October 4. Portugal currently sit top of Group 4 with six points, while Norway and Denmark follow with three points each, leaving winless Wales bottom of the standings.