Cristiano Ronaldo has explained why he left the Portugal national team camp after a dispute with coach Jorge Jesus and said he remains open to returning to the national team. The 41-year-old made the remarks in a lengthy statement in which he apologized to his teammates and Portugal fans while detailing how his disagreement with Jesus began.
Ronaldo said that after the World Cup, Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) President Pedro Proença asked him to reconsider his decision to leave the national team and also sought his opinion on Jesus as a coach.
Ronaldo said he supported Jesus being appointed, believing he was the right person to lead Portugal. In August, Ronaldo said Jesus told him that he was an important part of his plans and would start Portugal’s first and final matches in a four-game UEFA Nations League schedule. Jesus also reportedly asked Ronaldo not to travel for the away matches. However, Ronaldo refused because he felt that, as captain, he should not leave the team to others.
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Dispute Began After Norway Match
Ronaldo said the major disagreement with Jesus began on the day Portugal defeated Norway 2-1. According to Ronaldo, Jesus asked him if he was ready to play 30 minutes. Although this was not part of their original plan, Ronaldo said he agreed and even began warming up toward the end of the first half.
However, he was never brought onto the pitch. Ronaldo said this was the main reason for the dispute between him and Jesus. “He had already failed to respect what he had promised me. Not going to greet the fans after the game is my mistake, and I apologize to them.”
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Ronaldo Says Jesus Promised to Explain the Situation
Forty eight hours later, Ronaldo said he met with Jesus, the FPF president and other people close to the national team. He said they agreed that Jesus would explain the situation at a press conference, including that the plan to use Ronaldo had come from the coach, that Ronaldo had never asked to play a specific number of minutes, and that sending him to warm up without eventually using him was a mistake.
Ronaldo said Jesus asked him to reconcile and hug, assuring him that he would publicly explain what they had agreed. At the time, Ronaldo said he told the FPF president and Jesus: “If you don’t want me, tell me.” He said they both told him that was not the case and that he remained an important part of the national team’s plans.
However, Ronaldo said Jesus later gave a different account during the press conference. “What was said in the press conference had nothing to do with what we had agreed on. I heard harsh words that I did not deserve. It was the second time he had failed to respect what he had promised me.”
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Ronaldo Says He Has Never Interfered With Coaches
Ronaldo said that throughout his nearly 25 years representing Portugal, he has never interfered with the technical or tactical decisions of national team coaches.
“In nearly 25 years I have been in the national team, I have never entered into a coach’s decisions or interfered with them. But when someone does not respect the word he gave me, know that my place is no longer there.” The Portugal captain also apologized to his teammates for leaving the team’s camp, taking full responsibility for his decision.
He said the FPF should punish him without reducing the punishment and argued that his position as captain should not be used to lessen the consequences. “I apologize to my teammates for leaving the team. All responsibility is mine. FPF should punish me with no reason to reduce the punishment; being captain should also be considered as a serious reason to increase the severity of the punishment.”
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Ronaldo Still Wants to Play for Portugal
Despite the dispute with Jesus, Ronaldo said he has not made a final decision to retire from international football. Addressing talk of a farewell match, he said playing for Portugal is about competing for victory rather than simply receiving a farewell. “There is talk of farewell games. For me, the national team means competing to win.”
Ronaldo also recalled moments when he sacrificed personal matters for the national team. He cited the period after his father died, saying he remained with the squad until the following match had been played. “When my Father died, I continued to stay with the team until the next game was over. I did it for my country.”
Ronaldo left the door open to returning to Portugal, saying he would make himself available again after completing his suspension if he remains in good health. “If I will be in good health, after finishing the suspension, I will again be available for the national team, as usual, ready to compete and win for Portugal.”
The development came after FPF President Pedro Proença described the disagreement between Ronaldo and Jesus as a “misunderstanding” and indicated that Ronaldo remains part of the national team’s plans.
