Lothar Matthäus stirs controversy over Cristiano crisis: it is not due to a dispute with Jesus

Lothar Matthäus, the former Germany international, believes Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from the Portugal camp runs far deeper than the public knows.

After the final whistle against Norway (2-1), coach Jorge Jesus opened the door to Ronaldo, proposing a reconciliation and a return to the national team.

 "For me, Cristiano would be a player worthy of joining the next squad, provided he plays for Al-Nassr and wishes to return to the national team," Jesus said. "For the two parties to reach an agreement, they have to talk and understand each other. This does not depend on me alone."

Matthäus isn't convinced Ronaldo will ever wear the Portugal shirt again. He goes further, suggesting the problem was not merely a disagreement with the coach but tension with his team-mates too, and insisting the forward deserved a different farewell.

Speaking in comments reported by the newspaper "A Bola", Matthäus said: "He has had a wonderful career, I congratulate him from the bottom of my heart. He has given a great deal to football, and we can only be grateful to him. And perhaps for that very reason, his departure from the national team should have been more dignified. He did not deserve this."

The Bayern Munich legend hopes the pair can ultimately "look each other in the eye, face to face. Because the problem, in my view, is not confined to the coach and keeping him on the bench, but I think that Ronaldo no longer enjoys the support of his team-mates".

Ronaldo left Portugal's training camp before the match in Copenhagen against Denmark (4-2) and travelled by private jet to Madrid. On Sunday, he flew to Riyadh to join Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr.