A new poll in Portugal has revealed major public support for Jorge Jesus amid his dispute with Cristiano Ronaldo, while opinion remains deeply divided over whether CR7 should return to the national team.

Portuguese Public Backs Jorge Jesus as 37% Say Ronaldo Should Not Return

Cristiano Ronaldo has suffered another major blow in his Portugal national-team crisis after a new poll showed significantly stronger public support for Jorge Jesus.

The survey, carried out in Portugal during the growing controversy surrounding Ronaldo’s departure from the national-team camp, asked people for their views on both the legendary forward and the head coach.

The results show that Portuguese opinion remains divided over Ronaldo’s future.

But when people were asked to choose between Ronaldo and Jesus, the national-team coach received much stronger support.

37% do not want Ronaldo called up again

One of the most talked-about results concerns Ronaldo’s future with Portugal.

According to the survey:

37% said Ronaldo should no longer be called up.

35% said he should continue to be selected.

25% said the decision should depend on his form and the coach’s judgement.

The figures show that Portuguese opinion is extremely divided over whether Ronaldo should continue playing for the national team.

Importantly, the 37% figure does not mean a clear majority of Portuguese people want Ronaldo gone.

Jorge Jesus receives much stronger support

The difference became much clearer when people were asked who they believed had more reason in the current dispute.

According to the poll:

42% supported Jorge Jesus.

Only 14% sided with Ronaldo.

The remaining respondents either believed both men had some responsibility, neither side was completely right, or said they did not have enough information.

The result suggests Jesus currently has a much stronger position with the Portuguese public in this particular controversy.

66% would choose Jesus over Ronaldo

Another question produced an even more dramatic result.

When respondents were asked to make a direct choice between keeping Ronaldo or keeping Jorge Jesus, the coach won comfortably.

66% chose Jesus.

Only 19% chose Ronaldo.

That represents one of the clearest signs yet that public opinion may be moving towards supporting the coach’s authority over the national team.

Huge support for Jesus to remain Portugal coach

The poll also asked whether Jorge Jesus should continue in his position.

The answer was overwhelming.

84% said Jesus should remain Portugal coach.

Only 7% wanted him to leave.

That level of support gives Jesus a very strong public position despite the controversy involving the biggest player in Portuguese football history.

Portugal divided over Ronaldo’s international future

The survey also asked whether Ronaldo should now end his international career.

The result was again very close.

46% said it was time for Ronaldo to stop playing for Portugal.

41% said he should continue.

The narrow difference shows how difficult the debate has become.

Portugal still respects Ronaldo’s achievements, but there is growing uncertainty over what role he should have in the future.

Most people do not want Ronaldo to remain captain

The captaincy produced another interesting result.

According to the survey:

58% believe Ronaldo should no longer be Portugal captain.

Only 36% want him to keep the armband.

That suggests even some people who still want Ronaldo in the squad may believe the team should now move towards a new leadership structure.

Portugal still recognises Ronaldo’s incredible legacy

Despite the difficult numbers, the survey did not show that Portuguese people have forgotten what Ronaldo has achieved.

Quite the opposite.

94% described Ronaldo’s overall impact on the Portugal national team as positive.

A huge 71% called his influence “very positive”.

Ronaldo remains Portugal’s greatest goalscorer and one of the most important athletes in the country’s history.

The debate is therefore not mainly about his past. It is about what should happen next.

Poll shows a country divided

The survey was carried out by Pitagórica for TVI and CNN Portugal.

It questioned 400 Portuguese adults on October 1 and 2.

The reported maximum margin of error was around five percentage points.

That detail is important because the difference between the 37% who do not want Ronaldo selected and the 35% who do is very small.

It means the country remains deeply divided over Ronaldo’s future, even though support for Jesus is much clearer.

Jesus still leaves the door open for Ronaldo

Interestingly, Jorge Jesus himself has not completely closed the door on Ronaldo’s return.

After Portugal’s latest Nations League victory, the coach said Ronaldo could still come back if he wanted to.

Jesus made clear that he still values Ronaldo and would like the forward to remain close to the team.

The final decision, however, appears to depend heavily on Ronaldo himself.

FPF also wants Ronaldo back

Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proença has also attempted to calm the situation.

He described the crisis as a misunderstanding and confirmed that Ronaldo remains part of Portugal’s plans.

The FPF has been working to repair the relationship between Ronaldo and Jesus after the superstar’s dramatic departure from the squad.

So while public opinion currently favours the coach, Portugal’s football leaders are still trying to keep Ronaldo involved.

A difficult moment for Ronaldo

The situation creates an unusual picture around one of football’s greatest players.

Ronaldo remains hugely respected for everything he has done for Portugal.

But public opinion about his future has become far more complicated.

Many supporters still want to see him in the national team, while a growing group believes Portugal should now move forward under Jorge Jesus without depending on their legendary No.7.

For now, one thing is clear.

The Portuguese public is divided over Ronaldo’s future, but Jorge Jesus currently holds the stronger position in the battle for public support.