A cross-continental shock: has Jesus written the end of Ronaldo with Al-Nassr?

What makes Jesus's story so intriguing is that he refused to treat Ronaldo as untouchable. He took a clear tactical decision to leave him on the bench, then came out and declared that no player could change his thinking.

That message matters. For years Ronaldo had grown used to being the centrepiece of every project he joined. Jesus showed that a player's name and status guarantee nothing when it comes to minutes on the pitch, and that the coach was ready to take a decision that might anger the star if he judged it right for the team.

Read also: An agreement that was not implemented: 4 scenes between Ronaldo and Jesus that sparked the crisis

If it happened with Portugal, one question now looms over Al-Nassr: has it become easier for any coach to make the same call with Ronaldo?

This is exactly where Jesus's move could prove more dangerous than a simple row within the national team. He broke a psychological barrier that had long surrounded the very idea of benching Ronaldo. He proved the decision is possible, provided the coach has the nerve to live with the fallout.

Ange Postecoglou has shown no sign so far of wanting to reignite the battle with Ronaldo, but the shape of the season may yet confront him with a similar decision, especially if the Portuguese keeps turning in performances that fall short of expectations.

Ronaldo hasn't hit the form expected of him at Al-Nassr, either domestically or in the Asian competitions. That makes his place in the side a genuine talking point, particularly given the gulf between Postecoglou's ideas and the demands of his system.

Should the Australian conclude that his team needs other solutions in certain games, dropping Ronaldo to the bench would no longer be the impossible call it once seemed.

Jesus broke that barrier. He proved Ronaldo's name grants its owner no complete immunity from a manager's decisions.

The problem is that such a decision at Al-Nassr wouldn't pass with the calm it might in an international fixture. Here it's tied to a huge contract, a global superstar, and an entire project built around his presence.

Leave Ronaldo on the bench more than once, and Postecoglou risks turning a tactical call into a full-blown crisis. The danger grows if the player senses his role in the side slipping away.

Ronaldo needs little encouragement to vent his anger when a tactical decision fails to convince him. Portugal's recent experience laid bare just how much tension can erupt when his wishes collide with a coach's vision.

Benching Ronaldo, then, may be only the first spark. Accept the decision and handle it professionally, and the matter ends on the pitch. Let it spill into direct confrontation, and Al-Nassr could face something far bigger than one player missing from the line-up.

More dangerous still is the simple fact that Al-Nassr cannot treat Ronaldo as a disposable player to be dropped with a quick decision. His presence is tied to a huge contract and a major sporting and commercial project, which makes any move towards ending the relationship extremely complicated.

Should Al-Nassr ever decide to part ways with Ronaldo, money would make it anything but simple. Reports put the Portuguese star's annual salary at close to 200 million euros, a figure that turns any attempt to terminate the contract into an extremely complicated affair.

Benching Ronaldo is one thing. Ending his relationship with Al-Nassr is something else entirely. The coach can take the first decision on his own, but the second demands financial, legal and administrative calculations that could make the whole scenario far harder.

Here lies the irony. Jesus may have opened the door to an idea nobody had dared raise lightly: that Ronaldo could sit on the bench if his situation clashes with the coach's vision. Turning that idea into an actual departure, though, takes far more than a technical call.

Portugal's crisis, then, may not be the passing cross-continental story it appears. It could instead mark the moment that revealed a new phase in how clubs deal with Ronaldo.

If Postecoglou goes down the same road, the ball will land in the Portuguese star's court. He can answer on the pitch and reassert himself, or dig in for a confrontation that puts his Al-Nassr future to its biggest test since he arrived in Riyadh.