Cristiano Ronaldo’s mother, Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, has revealed details of an honest conversation with her son after he left the national team’s camp following a rift with head coach Jorge Jesus.
Ronaldo left the camp days after he was an unused substitute in the 2-1 win against Norway in Oslo on September 27.
Ronaldo’s mother said she was shocked and saddened by his decision to leave Portugal’s training camp, admitting that she shed tears over the controversy.
Speaking to Portuguese magazine TV 7 Dias, Dolores revealed that she advised her son to remain calm and assured him of her support.
‘I feel sad, it’s normal. It was a shock, my son could have left through the main door, and instead he left through the small door, but it’s okay, God will take care of it…’, she said in a statement to TV 7 Dias.
‘I cried a little. It’s good too, to let go. We have to turn this around.’
Aveiro, 71, also revealed the details of her first telephone conversation with her son once the newsbroke about his walk-out – adding her belief that he is not valued as much as he should be considering his feats for his country.
‘He told me: “Mom, don’t worry, I’ll tell you the truth when we’re all together”.
‘And I replied: “OK, son, get over it”. And that was it. I told him to calm down, but well, his head decided to do that. We’ll see. I gave him all my support; it was no use.
‘But it’s okay; he gave a lot to Portugal, so he’s always there. He was always Portugal’s hero. They’re not valuing him as they should.
‘They don’t value Cristiano. He’s the Portuguese player we have.’
The controversy erupted after Ronaldo left Portugal’s training camp ahead of their Nations League matches against Denmark. The 41-year-old forward alleged that Jorge Jesus had failed to honour an agreement concerning his playing time during the team’s previous match against Norway.
Ronaldo claimed he had been told he would play for about 30 minutes against Norway but was left on the bench despite warming up. He also alleged that a subsequent agreement over how the matter would be addressed publicly was not honoured. Jesus has disputed aspects of Ronaldo’s account.
Despite the dispute, Ronaldo has insisted that he remains available to represent Portugal and is prepared to accept any disciplinary consequences arising from his departure from the camp.