Elma Aveiro, the sister of Cristiano Ronaldo, has cast serious doubt on whether the forward will play for Portugal again. Speaking to reporters in Lisbon on Oct. 14, after the presentation of a book that Jorge Jesus also attended, in her first public comments since the dispute between her brother and the national team coach spiraled over the past few weeks.
Asked whether Ronaldo wants to return, Aveiro answered: “I don’t think so”. She then went further when pressed on the matter. “I believe it’s more likely that he won’t than that he will,” she said, adding that she thinks both Ronaldo and Jesus are hurt and that she can only speak on behalf of her brother.
On the possibility of a reconciliation with Jesus, Aveiro was just as pessimistic. “I don’t know. It’s very complicated,” she said. “When you’ve been betrayed, it’s difficult to go back to how things were before”.
The feud began when Ronaldo left Portugal’s camp in Copenhagen ahead of Matchday 3 of the UEFA Nations League against Denmark, after Jesus had left him warming up on the touchline without playing in the victory over Norway.
Ronaldo later released a statement in which he accused Jesus of breaking his word, but also apologized to his teammates for leaving and said the responsibility for his exit was his alone, adding that he remains available to play for Portugal if the coach calls him up.
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The Portuguese Football Federation has opened disciplinary proceedings that include a provisional suspension, while federation president Pedro Proenca has described the situation as a misunderstanding that could still be resolved, leaving a possible return in the November window very much unsettled.
When is Portugal’s next match?
Portugal’s next matches are in the November international window, when they finish their UEFA Nations League A group, which also includes Denmark, Norway and Wales. The defending champions host Denmark on Nov. 14, then travel to face Wales on Nov. 17.
Those dates are the earliest Ronaldo could return, although his availability depends on the federation’s disciplinary proceedings and on whether he and Jesus can move past the dispute.
