Bruno Fernandes has made his feelings clear on Cristiano Ronaldo's spat with Portugal coach Jorge Jesus
Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal celebrates with teammate Bruno Fernandes of Portugal after scoring a goal (disallowed)
Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo may have played together for the last time(Image: Getty Images)
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Bruno Fernandes has performed a U-turn in the wake of the former Manchester United star's fallout with Portugal boss Jorge Jesus. Ronaldo stormed out of the Portugal camp after being an unused substitute for the 2-1 Nations League win over Norway.
They then won 4-2 in Denmark without Ronaldo, who announced on Instagram that he would in "due course… tell all the Portuguese people the truth about the reasons" behind his decision to walk out on his country.
Current United captain Fernandes, who also played alongside Ronaldo during his second spell at Old Trafford, maintains that whenever the dust settles from the fallout, there can be no question of just what the 41-year-old has achieved for his country, calling him the "greatest symbol of our national team and country for everything he has done in Portugal and around the world."
He added: "He has a reserved place not only among the best of all time, but also in the hearts of the Portuguese people."
It's a far cry from the frosty response Ronaldo got from Fernandes following his acrimonious departure from United four years ago in the wake of his infamous Piers Morgan interview.
On that occasion, Fernandes refused to take sides, saying: "I don't feel uncomfortable. I don't have to pick a side. It was a dream come true to play with Cristiano [at United] but nothing lasts forever."
Bruno Fernandes did not give Cristiano Ronaldo a very warm welcome and initially appeared to ignore the forward's handshake
Fernandes appeared to snub Ronaldo in 2022
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At the same time, footage emerged of the pair sharing an awkward handshake as they joined up for international duty. Fernandes later insisted he was joking with Ronaldo and that there was no issue between the pair.
Asked if he had a problem with Ronaldo after a 4-0 win over Nigeria, he told Sky Sports: "I have no problem with anyone. I do my job and as a manager once said to me, everything that you can control is yourself. I think everyone thinks the same way, you have to control yourself, give your best and that's it."
Fernandes and Ronaldo may have played together for the final time after Ronaldo reportedly rejected peace talks with Jesus, his former manager at Al-Nassr.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo wasn't happy about being an unused substitute against Norway(Image: Getty Images)
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Jesus said he would be willing to meet with Ronaldo but only after the Nations League game against Norway on Sunday. Ronaldo seems to have shunned that option after arranging to fly back to Saudi Arabia on a private jet, according to the Portuguese outlet Abola.
It had been claimed by Record that a meeting between Ronaldo and Jesus could have taken place in Madrid in the coming days, but that now looks unlikely.
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