Ronaldo will take your job - Trump’s warning to Portugal president surfaces amidst recent drama

Donald Trump’s bizarre 2018 prediction about Cristiano Ronaldo replacing Portugal’s president has resurfaced as the football icon finds himself at the centre of an escalating national-team drama.

The former United States president once joked that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa would lose an election to Ronaldo, and recent events have once again put the Portuguese superstar in the spotlight.

During a 2018 conversation, Rebelo de Sousa proudly told Trump that Portugal had the best player in the world and suggested that his son knew Ronaldo. Trump agreed with the assessment, describing the former Real Madrid star as the best player in the world.

The conversation then took an unexpected turn when Trump told the Portuguese president: “If Cristiano Ronaldo ran for president against you, you wouldn’t win.”

Rebelo de Sousa laughed off the suggestion, responding that, fortunately, such a scenario was unlikely because the United States and Portugal were different.

Eight years later, Ronaldo remains one of the most recognisable figures in Portuguese public life, although his latest controversy has taken place away from the political arena.

The 41-year-old left Portugal’s training camp in Copenhagen on September 30, just a day before the Nations League meeting with Denmark. His departure came after a press conference by head coach Jorge Jesus and a conversation with Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proença.

The situation has since reportedly reached Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, who contacted Proença and asked to speak with Jesus about what happened. According to reports, Montenegro wants to hear the coach’s version of events and reportedly has a good relationship with the Portugal boss.

SIC has also reported that Montenegro spoke directly with Ronaldo, although that detail has not been independently confirmed by the FPF.

Jesus had insisted there was no major problem between himself and Ronaldo and said the captain would train with the squad. Ronaldo instead left Parken Stadium without taking part in the session, forcing the FPF to confirm his departure.

Portugal subsequently continued preparations with the remaining 24 players, leaving Ronaldo’s latest international controversy far removed from the presidential joke Trump made in 2018 — but making his influence in Portugal look increasingly difficult to ignore.