The fallout began during the Nations League break when Ronaldo, 41, was left as an unused substitute in Portugal's 2-1 win over Norway on September 27 - the first time since 2008 he had been available and not played. He was then told he would not start against Denmark.
Ronaldo subsequently left the national-team camp on Wednesday, posting on social media that he would "tell the Portuguese people the truth about the reasons" for leaving "in due course."
According to CNN Portugal commentator Rui Santos, who first reported the condition, Ronaldo is not retiring from international football but has told the Portuguese Football Federation he will not come back while Jesus is in charge.
"He reportedly vented that he will not return to the national team, at least while Jorge Jesus is in technical command," Santos said. "He is not satisfied in the slightest with the handling of this entire process."
The tension stems from what Ronaldo viewed as mixed messages. Jesus, who replaced Roberto Martinez after the 2026 World Cup and previously coached Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, said he needed Ronaldo close to him, playing or not, but also insisted selection is his decision alone and that he had nothing to apologize for.
Portugal coach Jorge Jesus has since left the door open for a return. After Portugal beat Norway 2-1 on Sunday to secure Nations League quarter-final qualification, he said:
"If he wants to, he'll return to the national team. We can talk before the next call-up, but Cris is the one who's going to decide. In my first call-up, I said, 'I need you, I need you to be close to me, playing or not playing, I need you.' And now I'm saying the same thing."
Federation president Pedro Proenca also called the incident "simply a misunderstanding that needs to be resolved internally" and described Ronaldo as "our icon" and "part of the legacy."
"Now that the four matches are over, we have the time and calm to sit down together and resolve the misunderstanding," Proenca told RTP.
Portugal won all four Nations League games without Ronaldo starting, fueling debate about a final farewell match. For now, Ronaldo's camp insists that will not happen unless there is a change on the bench.