Cristiano Ronaldo insists he will not retire from international football after leaving Portugal’s Nations League training camp. The Al-Nassr forward admitted he deserves punishment from the Portuguese Football Federation, while accusing head coach Jorge Jesus of twice breaking his word during a fitness dispute.
The 41-year-old captain departed the national team’s camp in Copenhagen ahead of their fixture against Denmark. His sudden exit followed a sequence of events surrounding Portugal’s match against Norway on September 27, where he watched from the bench as an unused substitute. Having scored 146 goals in 234 appearances for his country, the veteran forward insists that his career in the national colors is far from finished.
Ronaldo Alleges Two Broken Promises by Jesus
According to Ronaldo’s nearly 2,000-word statement, he and Jesus had established a pre-arranged plan to manage his fitness by missing the matches against Norway and Denmark. That arrangement changed abruptly on the day of the Norway fixture when the 72-year-old coach informed him he would play for thirty minutes.
Everyone knows the rest. I warmed up from half-time onwards, watched the minutes tick by and wasn’t called on, Cristiano Ronaldo, via BBC Sport
Ronaldo stated that the manager had broken his word to me during that match. A subsequent meeting involving Al-Nassr sporting director Simao Coutinho produced an eight-point document intended to clarify the situation publicly. The notes affirmed that the player had never demanded playing time and considered asking someone of the stature of Pelé or Maradona
to warm up without substituting him to be a mistake.
The agreement did not require Jesus to apologise, but Ronaldo maintained that the coach’s public remarks at a subsequent press conference diverged sharply from their private understandings. He described hearing an aggressiveness and an attitude he believed he did not deserve.
Ronaldo Asks the Federation for Sanctions
Despite his grievances with the coaching staff, Ronaldo accepted total accountability for leaving the camp without waiting for any further broken promises. He stated that the Portuguese Football Federation must evaluate the situation and administer appropriate penalties.
The Portuguese Football Federation must assess the consequences of my actions and punish me for them. I believe the punishment should not be reduced, Cristiano Ronaldo, via Yahoo
The player noted that he had already apologised to his teammates and supporters, recognizing that his departure carried consequences. While Jesus disputed that any formal fitness agreement had been broken and asserted that the door was still open for the captain to return, public and media opinions in Portugal divided sharply between support for the coach and loyalty to the player.
Captain Rejects a Ceremonial Farewell
Ronaldo revealed that he had weighed international retirement following Portugal’s exit at the last-16 stage of the World Cup in the United States. He had drafted a farewell letter to fans, but FPF president Pedro Proenca urged him to reconsider on the flight home.
Dismissing suggestions that his remaining time with Portugal be reduced to a ceremonial farewell, Ronaldo emphasized that his focus remains entirely on active competition once his disciplinary suspension concludes.
If I am physically well, playing for my club, with goals, I hope, after serving the suspension that may be applied to me, I will be available, as I have always been until today, to compete and win for our national team, Cristiano Ronaldo, via Naija News
