Piers Morgan has accused Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus of trying to humiliate Cristiano Ronaldo, calling him the “Portuguese Ten Hag” in a post on X on 5 October.
Morgan, a close friend of Ronaldo, said he would address the matter on that evening's episode of his Football Uncensored show.
The post came in response to Jesus' press conference after Portugal's 2-1 home win over Norway on 4 October.
What Piers Morgan Said About Jorge Jesus
Morgan took to X to respond to comments from Jesus about the situation. The British broadcaster wrote:
"This guy is the Portuguese Ten Hag… wants to make a name for himself as the big tough guy by trying to humiliate @cristiano with shocking disrespect. I will deal with him (from a very well-informed perspective) on tonight's episode of Football Uncensored."
The post quotes an excerpt from Jesus's press conference shared by transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano.
Jesus said the row over Ronaldo's warm-up only became an issue "because it was him" and asked how many other players had warmed up without coming on and causing controversy.
SPORTbible, translating from Portuguese, also quoted him as saying: "You can't break up a year-long friendship because of a situation I can't even understand."
Jesus said Ronaldo can return. "If he wants to, he will return to the national team," he said, adding that Ronaldo would be eligible for selection at the next squad announcement, provided he is playing.
Asked whether he should apologise, he replied: "I don't apologise to anyone."
“Humiliate” and “disrespect” are Morgan's own characterisations. In the reported comments, Jesus said nothing had happened that undermined his authority.
How the Ronaldo and Jesus Dispute Began
The disagreement goes back to Portugal's 2-1 win over Norway in Oslo on 27 September. Ronaldo, 41, was an unused substitute after warming up during the second half.
It was the first time he had been an unused substitute for Portugal in a competitive match since 2008. Jesus later conceded a mistake over the timing.
"I should have had him warm up about 15 minutes later," he said
Ronaldo left the squad on 30 September after speaking with Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proença. In an Instagram statement, he said that, "in due course," he would "tell all Portuguese people the truth" about the reasons for his departure.
Portugal then beat Denmark 4-2 in Copenhagen and Norway 2-1 in Porto without him, and led their Nations League group by six points. Ronaldo has 146 goals in 234 caps for Portugal, both records.
Jesus took charge of Portugal in July, after Roberto Martínez left following the World Cup. He had coached Ronaldo at Al Nassr, and he said at a press conference that he had worked with him for a year.
Why Morgan Compares Jesus to Erik ten Hag
Ten Hag was Manchester United manager in 2022 when Ronaldo gave Morgan an interview criticising the club. Ronaldo's contract was ended by mutual agreement soon afterwards, and he later joined Al-Nassr.
Morgan was critical of United's treatment of Ronaldo at the time, and is now comparing that episode with Ronaldo's situation involving Jesus.
Proença has said he hopes Ronaldo will return to the squad in November, describing the situation as a "misunderstanding."
Portugal hosts Denmark on 14 November and travels to Wales three days later. Ronaldo has not yet given the account he promised, and the squad for those matches has not been announced.
