Portugal: Jorge Jesus's lawyer takes aim at Cristiano Ronaldo

Jorge Jesus's lawyer leaves Record amid the crisis with Ronaldo, who is expected to return to Portugal in November

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Portugal: Jorge Jesus's lawyer takes aim at Cristiano Ronaldo

The conflict between Cristiano Ronaldo and Jorge Jesus continues to cause repercussions, even prompting the coach's lawyer to leave Record.

The crisis between Cristiano Ronaldo and the Portuguese national team continues to make headlines. Although a suspension had been announced after his departure from the last international gathering, the Al-Nassr star is ultimately expected to return to Portugal during the next international break in November. That prospect promises a particularly closely watched reunion with Jorge Jesus.

In recent weeks, Ronaldo had nevertheless suggested that he did not intend to return to the Seleção anytime soon, and especially not as long as Jorge Jesus remained in charge. The Portuguese had made the coach's presence a central issue in his conflict with the Federation, after taking his being dropped to the bench and then warming up without being brought on very badly. The situation now appears to be evolving, as his return in November is once again being considered.

Jorge Jesus's lawyer walks away from Record

Against this tense backdrop, Luis Miguel Henrique, Jorge Jesus's lawyer, announced that he would no longer write a column for the Portuguese daily Record. He explained his decision in particular by pointing to Cristiano Ronaldo's status as a major shareholder in Medialivre, the newspaper's owner, believing that he could no longer maintain complete independence under those circumstances.

“Some columns are written with the heart and others with the conscience. This one belongs to the latter category—and it will very probably be the last one I sign here. Not under anyone's pressure, but as a purely personal decision. For me, the facts are very simple: Cristiano Ronaldo is a major shareholder in Medialivre, the owner of this newspaper. While the captain is in open conflict with Jorge Jesus and, by extension, with me, it would not be appropriate, or even shameful, for me to continue collaborating with and being paid by a company in which he is a shareholder. There is no intellectual independence without financial independence. Anyone who speaks about power cannot depend on the power they are speaking about. It is from this straitjacket that, as of now, I prefer to free myself, so that no one, whoever they may be, thinks or dreams that they have the ability to inflict any ‘consequence’ on me. Freedom that is exercised only when it costs nothing is called expediency. And I have never written out of expediency. Finally, a word for Cristiano Ronaldo. A great deal of what you have achieved for yourself, your family and your country has been defended, praised and recalled here for those who had forgotten it most. But through your actions, your behaviour and your obsession with certain metrics, you have managed to do what no opponent has: damage our ability to remember all the good you have brought us. You increasingly surround yourself with those who tell you what you want to hear and less and less with those who tell you what you need to hear. That is the fate of gods and autocrats: they end up alone on Olympus, surrounded by mirrors.”

A highly anticipated reunion

This statement adds another layer to an already particularly tense saga. Between Ronaldo's initial decision not to return as long as Jorge Jesus remained in place, the disciplinary proceedings opened by the Portuguese Federation and the prospect of a return as early as November, the relationship between the two men remains the focus of everyone's attention.

If CR7 does rejoin the Portuguese squad during the next international window, his first meeting with Jorge Jesus since this episode will inevitably be watched very closely.