Mourinho rejects reports linking him to Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal dispute

Jose Mourinho has denied making comments about Cristiano Ronaldo’s reported dispute with the Portugal national team, describing the statements attributed to him as “fake news”.

The Real Madrid manager addressed the reports in a firm message posted on his social media accounts, according to Marca. The claims had circulated mainly in Brazil and suggested Mourinho had spoken about the issue involving his former player.

Mourinho said he had not discussed the matter and made clear that he had “no comment” on a situation he considers entirely unrelated to him. He also rejected any suggestion that he wanted to become involved in the case.

The Portuguese coach is said to hold the Portuguese Football Federation, Portugal manager Jorge Jesus and Ronaldo in the highest regard. For that reason, he does not want to intervene in the matter in any way, particularly after remarks were attributed to him that he says he never made.

Mourinho spent the day at Valdebebas working with his Real Madrid players before travelling to hospital to visit Raul Asencio. The player underwent surgery after suffering a stress fracture in his leg, and Mourinho went to check on his condition.

The denial draws a line under reports that had attempted to connect the Real Madrid manager with the situation surrounding Ronaldo and Portugal. Mourinho’s message focused on distancing himself from the claims rather than commenting on the underlying issue.