Bruno Fernandes moved to calm the noise around Portugal on 3 October 2026, speaking at a press conference after the captain in Denmark and ahead of the Dragão match against Norway. He said he had already spoken with Cristiano Ronaldo and rejected the idea that the squad is split.

"In relation to Cristiano, I had a conversation with him," Fernandes said, speaking to A Bola. He also said there are no divisions in the national team and that matters should be settled behind closed doors. That line is the one Portugal need right now, because the chatter around Ronaldo risks swallowing a simple football week.

Fernandes' message on Ronaldo

Fernandes pushed the point hard enough to leave little room for a second reading. "Regardless of what happens, Cristiano Ronaldo will never stop being the biggest symbol of our national team," he said, and repeated that there are no divisions in the camp.

The wider row is still being framed differently by different outlets, but the public line from Fernandes is straightforward enough. Ronaldo left after Jorge Jesus said he would not start against Denmark, yet Fernandes did not offer any suggestion of a split among the players. He framed the issue as something the squad should leave behind closed doors.

Fernandes's own form gives him some authority in the discussion. He has a 7.87 rating across two Nations League appearances and 181 minutes, and he posted an 8.6 rating with two assists in 92 minutes against Denmark. For Portugal, that is the kind of output that makes his message harder to dismiss.

Portugal's focus on Norway

Fernandes also made it clear that Portugal are still thinking about the football. He said Norway's quality means they "had to know how to suffer", and he described the last match as one that brought three very important points.

Portugal have won all three of their Nations League matches, while Norway have one win and two defeats in the group. Portugal also beat Norway 2-1 away last week, so the return meeting is about keeping control rather than trying to rescue a badly wobbling campaign.

Fernandes's point was not that the talk does not exist. It was that Portugal should not let it get inside the squad. With Norway next at the Dragão, the public line from their midfielder is clear and the football task is still in front of them.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →