"What an arrogant arsehole": star presenter rages after uproar involving Cristiano Ronaldo against Portugal coach Jorge Jesus

The British presenter, who has been close friends with the Al-Nassr superstar since the headline-grabbing interview in 2022, launched a direct attack on the Selecao coach on X . "What an arrogant arsehole. Jesus was never good enough to play for Portugal, and now he enjoys belittling the country's greatest players," wrote the 61-year-old.

The row erupted after the 41-year-old forward left the team camp on Tuesday evening following a conversation with federation president Pedro Proenca. Before that, Jesus had chosen to start Goncalo Ramos in the Nations League away game in Denmark (which Portugal won 4-2) and left Ronaldo on the bench again. In the previous international against Norway, the veteran had also remained an unused substitute throughout.

Rafael Leao then received Ronaldo's customary No 7 shirt for the Denmark game. Morgan slammed that decision too.

What did Piers Morgan say about the row surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo?

"After everything Cristiano has done for Portugal - why the hell are they treating him like this? Yesterday was his father's birthday and he played for his country the day after his death. It is shameful to watch this shocking disrespect towards their greatest player," wrote Morgan.

That quickly became a major talking point. The captain's sister and the Portuguese prime minister both weighed in on the treatment of the record international.

Whether Ronaldo's international career is definitively over remains unclear after his departure, which he addressed in a statement. A return under coach Jesus, who also coached him at Al-Nassr last season, currently appears highly unlikely, however.