Cristiano Ronaldo left Portugal’s national team training camp in Denmark aboard a private jet last week after team manager Jorge Jesus left the 41-year-old on the bench for the entire 90 minutes of a match against Norway, welt.de reported. The sudden departure triggered an immediate public rift between the country’s all-time leading scorer and the national team coaching staff, drawing reactions from family members alike.
Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro Defends Her Son
Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, the 71-year-old mother of the Portuguese superstar, broke her silence on the controversy in an interview with the Portuguese magazine TV 7 Dias, heute.at reported. Aveiro offered public support for her son while simultaneously criticizing the broader football establishment in Portugal for its treatment of the forward.
“I have given him my all, it didn’t do any good. But that doesn’t matter,” Aveiro said, as reported by heute.at. “He has given Portugal so much, that’s why he is always there. He has always been the hero of Portugal.”
Despite her unwavering loyalty, Aveiro expressed frustration with how the country treats the player. “They don’t appreciate him the way they should,” she stated, according to heute.at. “They don’t value Cristiano. That’s just the Portuguese we have.”
Tears and a Dramatic Exit From the National Team
The fallout from the benching and subsequent departure brought an emotional toll on Ronaldo’s family. Aveiro admitted that the sudden turn of events left her shaken and brought her to tears, heute.at reported.
“I cried a little bit. It also does you good to let something go. We have to get over this now,” Aveiro told TV 7 Dias, as noted by heute.at. “I’m sad, that’s normal. It was a shock. My son could have gone through the big door, and instead he went through the small door. But it doesn’t matter, God will take care of it.”
Prior to his exit, Ronaldo issued a detailed statement explaining his decision to walk away from the squad. “I decided to leave the training camp without waiting for another broken promise,” Ronaldo wrote, as cited by welt.de. “For me, the truth remains the most important thing in human relationships.” He added that staying with the team would have harmed the squad, noting, “If I no longer feel useful, I pack my bags and leave.”
Divergent Accounts of the Telephone Conversation
According to heute.at, Aveiro revealed the details of a private phone call she shared with her son immediately following the incident in Denmark. Ronaldo reportedly attempted to calm his mother during their conversation.
“He said to me: ‘Mama, don’t worry. I will tell the truth when we are all together,'” Aveiro recounted to TV 7 Dias, according to heute.at. “And I replied: ‘Okay, my son, turn the situation around again.'”
While Aveiro advised her son to maintain his composure and assured him of her full backing, the forward chose his own path instead, welt.de reported. The public split leaves Ronaldo’s international future under Jorge Jesus uncertain.
Keep reading
