Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo can return to the squad if he wishes, despite walking out on his team-mates, said national team coach Jorge Jesus on Sunday.

Jesus said Ronaldo can come back into the fold “if he wants to” after the team beat Norway without the veteran attacker to reach the Nations League quarter-finals.

The dispute began last week when Jesus left 41-year-old Ronaldo on the bench for Portugal’s first win over Norway. Ronaldo subsequently walked out on the squad on Wednesday after learning he would not start against Denmark.

“For me, Cris, in the next call-up, if he’s playing at Al-Nassr, he’ll be a player who can be called up,” Jesus told reporters, referring to Ronaldo’s Saudi club side. “If he wants to, he’ll return to the national team.”

The coach said if Ronaldo wishes to speak to him before Portugal’s next matches in November, that would happen.

Former Real Madrid and Manchester United attacker Ronaldo is Portugal’s all-time leading scorer and most-capped player.

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