‘This manager is brave enough to tell him he needs to go’ — Allardyce backs Jesus as Ronaldo faces suspension

Sam Allardyce has backed Jorge Jesus’s handling of the Cristiano Ronaldo walkout controversy, insisting that the Portugal boss has the character required to tell the 41-year-old his international career may be over. Speaking on the ‘No Tippy Tappy Football’ podcast, the former Premier League manager drew a direct comparison with the decision Erik ten Hag made when he sent Ronaldo away from Manchester United in November 2022.

The controversy erupted after Ronaldo left the Portugal training camp ahead of their Nations League fixture against Denmark, following a dispute with Jesus over game time. Portugal, who went on to win 4-2 in Copenhagen without their record cap holder, have been given a conditional return offer by Jesus, but the Portuguese Football Federation has imposed a preventive suspension on Ronaldo that could last between one and six months.

Portugal news: what Allardyce said about Jesus and Ronaldo

‘We have to remember that Ronaldo was moved on at Manchester United to get rid of him,’ Allardyce said. ‘So the manager had to bite the bullet and take all the criticism because he felt that, in the system he wanted to play, Ronaldo was already too old to offer what he was looking for.’

The 71-year-old acknowledged Ronaldo’s standing as one of the greatest players in football history but was direct about what must now follow.

‘Sooner or later, someone has to say it — and this manager is brave enough to tell him he needs to go.’

Portugal news: the Ronaldo version of events and what happens next

Ronaldo broke his silence publicly, accusing Jesus of breaking his word over a promised appearance against Norway. Jesus had reportedly agreed that Ronaldo would feature for several minutes, before later asking whether the forward was fit enough to play 30 minutes — a question Ronaldo interpreted as a breach of their arrangement.

‘The manager failed to keep his word,’ Ronaldo wrote in a public statement, in which he also apologised to Portugal supporters while placing the responsibility for any sanction firmly on himself.

Jesus’s own response at a press conference was characteristically brief. When asked to reply to Ronaldo’s statement, the manager said only: ‘I read the statement’ — before saying he would ‘go to the federation to work and think about the team, as he does every day.’ He did not confirm whether Ronaldo would be included in his next squad.

Portugal Federation president Pedro Proenca has since indicated that a November call-up remains possible should the disciplinary process conclude in time.