Apologise to Ronaldo or get sacked — Jorge Jesus warned

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has warned Portugal national team manager Jorge Jesus to publicly apologise for his treatment of Cristiano Ronaldo or face dismissal.

​Ferdinand, who shared a dressing room with the Portuguese captain at Old Trafford between 2003 and 2009, offered his assessment of the ongoing international fallout.

​Speaking out in defence of his former teammate on Monday, Ferdinand placed the blame for the dressing room fracture on Jesus's man-management skills. The pundit insisted that the manager must now intervene to salvage his tenure.

​"The coach [Jorge Jesus] has to come and apologize... or else he'll end up being fired," Ferdinand stated. "He has to come out publicly and say, 'Listen, I misjudged this situation.'"

​The dispute originated when Jesus left the 41-year-old forward as an unused substitute during Portugal's 2-1 UEFA Nations League victory against Norway in Oslo on September 27. Feeling disrespected, Ronaldo abandoned the national team camp in Copenhagen on September 30.

​Ferdinand argued that the situation was entirely avoidable, drawing a direct parallel to the communication strategy of Jesus's predecessor, Roberto Martínez, during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

​"All of this could have been prevented with good communication," Ferdinand explained. "I said the same thing during the World Cup with Roberto Martínez, and I think the same with this coach now. 

“They have to sit down with Cristiano Ronaldo and tell him, 'This is what I want to do, and if you don't want to be a part of it, then tell me, but this is how things are going to be.'"

​Ferdinand also took to social media to amplify his stance, posting to X (formerly Twitter) to condemn the manager's "poor communication" and "lack of respect."

​Ferdinand maintained that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner remains an asset for the national team, provided the coaching staff explicitly outlines his operational parameters.

​"He still has a role to play, I believe that," Ferdinand added. "The question here is whether it will be as a starter, a significant substitute in games, or even to start some matches and be a substitute in others? That's the conversation that needs to be had, and then it's just a matter of fulfilling what was agreed upon."

​"These coaches are paid to manage a team, but they are also paid to manage people," Ferdinand concluded.