Jorge Jesus threw the Cristiano Ronaldo file wide open on Friday. The Portugal manager fronted up at a press conference following the announcement of his first squad since the national team captain retired from international football, insisting he had no prior knowledge of the player's decision and that he had intended to call him up for the UEFA Nations League matches.

Ronaldo retired on Thursday after weeks of a major crisis with Jesus. It began when the Portugal captain walked out of the national team camp in Copenhagen last October without permission, in protest at the manager's earlier remarks, and the Portuguese Football Federation suspended him for it.

The crisis had looked to be heading towards a resolution. Then Ronaldo surprised everyone by announcing his international retirement just 24 hours before Portugal unveiled their new squad for the November break.

Jesus used the conference to go through the details of the decision, his relationship with Ronaldo, and whether he had expected the player to carry on with the national team.

Jesus borrows Ronaldo's words: "We are aiming for renewal and the future"

He opened by flagging up the fresh faces in his squad, which featured seven new players, while borrowing Ronaldo's own words about the future and renewal.

As reported by RMC, Jesus said: "As for the squad, there are seven new players. I hope these players prove with their clubs that they offer the level that matches a call-up to the senior national team, especially the five players who were part of the under-21 team."

He added: "And to borrow Cristiano's words, we are aiming for renewal, the future and the Portuguese national team. This is the perspective through which we look at things."

"Of course I thought he would come back": Jesus reveals his surprise

The manager admitted he had expected Ronaldo to stay on. He was even planning to call him up and speak to him before the player announced his retirement.

He said: "As for Ronaldo's situation now, what happened in the past does not concern me. Of course, I thought he would come back, and I was thinking of calling him up and talking to him. But I have to respect him. He decided that the time had come to leave the national team. Sooner or later, it was going to happen."

He explained: "He saw that this was the best time to leave. And I have to respect his decision, without ever forgetting what he represented for Portugal and what he still represents, and the symbol he is for the young players starting out their careers. These are two completely different matters."

"I found out about it along with you": Jesus denies any prior knowledge

Ronaldo gave him no warning. Jesus stressed he learned of the retirement at the same moment as everyone else.

He said: "I found out about it at the same time as all of you. I was informed of his decision yesterday, Thursday, as you know, after the video he made and the statement he published. Until then, I knew nothing."

He continued: "He was playing and scoring goals, and he was a player like the rest of the players in my team."

"My name will remain tied to his departure": Jesus speaks about Ronaldo's legacy

Whatever the timing, Jesus accepted his name would always be linked to the moment Ronaldo ended his international career.

He said: "I did not try to speak with Cristiano. Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from the national team was going to leave, whatever happened, a mark on my period as manager, which extends over four years until 2030."

He added: "If it had not happened during this camp, he could have taken the decision at another time, if he felt it was the right moment. It could have happened at any stage of the Nations League. In any case, my name will remain tied to Cristiano Ronaldo's departure, unless he plays again in 2030."

"I held no grudge against him": Jesus reveals he was going to call Ronaldo up

Jesus confirmed he had intended to call Ronaldo up, insisting his earlier decisions had nothing to do with any personal fallout.

He said: "If I say that I was thinking of calling him up, it is because I believed he would continue the Nations League project. I held no grudge against him."

He explained: "Why? Because all my decisions were taken for the good of the team. As a manager, I have always defended what was best for the team. And I am comfortable with my decision."

Jesus runs out of patience with questions about Ronaldo

The questions kept coming. Visibly irritated by the repetition, Jesus said plainly: "This subject has already been discussed, and I will not talk about it again. If you want to talk about not calling Ronaldo up, that's no problem. This point has already been addressed."

He went again: "We are coming back again to the same subject. I will not talk about this subject again. If you want to ask about why Cristiano is not there, or whether he thought he would be called up... yes, he thought so. But what I spoke about is no longer the subject. The subject is these 28 players and Cristiano's decision, which we must all respect. He is a symbol. I already spoke about that yesterday, and I will not repeat what I said."

Jesus refuses to comment on the federation president's stance

Pedro Proença knew about the retirement before it was announced. The Portugal manager declined to assess the stance of the Portuguese Football Federation president, insisting it was not his concern as national team boss.

He said: "Cristiano should certainly have stayed during my term as national team manager. That was self-evident."

He added: "As for the president's stance, since I am the manager and director of the national team, I will not comment on what he can or must do. That is out of the question."

"I don't know why he took this decision": Jesus unaware of the reason for Ronaldo's retirement

Pressed again on why Ronaldo walked away, especially as the player had dismissed the idea only a month earlier after leaving the national team camp, Jesus admitted he had no idea what had changed his mind.

He said: "You should ask him... What I am completely sure of is that Cristiano worked with me for a year at Al Nassr. We were happy at our club, and we were champions. I respect his decision."

He added: "He would always have been by my side throughout the years we were supposed to work together. The decision was his. I don't know why he took this decision."

He continued: "What I do know is that he knew his time was drawing near, and he had to choose. And he chose. He alone can answer this question better than I can."

"I did not speak with him because I intended to call him up"

Why no phone call before the announcement? Jesus explained his plan was to give Ronaldo the chance to return and talk things through afterwards.

He said: "I did not speak with Ronaldo because I was thinking of calling him up. And from that moment, I would have had the time to talk to him."

On his responsibilities with the national team after Ronaldo's departure, he said: "Will my responsibility with the national team change? The responsibility remains the same, because Portugal's responsibility is to win. The fact that Cristiano is no longer with the national team does not give us greater or lesser responsibility. The responsibility will be the same."

"Perhaps things were rushed, but that is not because of me"

Jesus refused to shoulder the blame for hastening the end of Ronaldo's international career, insisting he felt no guilt over the decision.

He said: "No... Perhaps things were rushed, but that is not because of me. He was thinking that the matter, regardless of the number of call-ups, would end in the end. And it was inevitably going to happen during my term."

He added: "I do not feel guilty about his departure. I respect his decision, and therefore his history cannot be ignored. And I will never ignore it, because he will always remain a symbol."

He signed off on the Ronaldo saga by saying: "Over a year and a half, I built a strong friendship with him. And on the sporting level, he has now taken another decision, and I respect it greatly."