Portuguese icon Ronaldo is at war with his international boss
Portugal coach Jorge Jesus was at the center of a dramatic fight with striker Cristiano Ronaldo during the international break. However, West Ham United defender Morato has nothing but good words for the boss.
Ronaldo, 41, left the Portugal camp midway through the UEFA Nations League campaign after being substituted for the win in Norway. The hosts arrived with a 100 per cent record from four matches, although Jesus got off to a flying start after Roberto Martinez.
This hardly surprises Morato. The Hammers defender was handed his senior debut at Benfica by the experienced manager, who he called the boss of his “first XI of his life”.
“He was the one who helped me move from the Benfica B team to the first team,” Morato told club media. “He was the one who started me in the first few games, including the UEFA Champions League away game against Bayern Munich in November 2021, where I scored. He’s a great manager.”
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The Brazilian played in 9 Champions Leagues for “Benfica”, two of them were under the leadership of Jesus. The 72-year-old manager had spells in Turkey and Saudi Arabia before taking charge of Portugal in July.
The Selecao have won four out of four games to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Nations League, winning the 2024/25 edition of the international competition. However, Ronaldo’s plight continues to dominate the headlines.
After Portugal’s home game against Norway, Jesus stated that he did not apologize to anyone and said, “Cristiano Ronaldo will be called up for the next international break if he wants to come back. It’s his decision. If he’s going to play with Al-Nassr, I’m ready to call him up.”
He added: “I don’t think you can hold a year’s friendship against someone for something that is hard to understand. Just because he is, and perhaps rightly so, because he is an icon, there is this whole thing of warming up and not warming up and coming and not coming.
“How many players warmed up today and did not appear? How many? Will any of them have a problem? No,” he added. Ronaldo has since made a lengthy statement of his own and it remains to be seen what will happen in the next international break.
Jorge Jesus Morato wasn’t the only one linked with Benfica’s move to 11th place of all time. Others included goalkeeper Helton Leite, centre-back Nicolas Otamendi and Portuguese midfielder Joao Neves.
Morato made 86 appearances for Benfica and 66 for Nottingham Forest and has joined West Ham on a season-long loan that could become permanent if the Hammers win promotion. He has already scored his first goal at the London Stadium in the Carabao Cup loss at home to Fulham in September.