Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed that he is not retiring from international football, but believes he deserves to be punished for walking out on the team and his teammates. A lengthy statement from Ronaldo also saw him accuse national team boss Jorge Jesus of repeatedly reneging on his word, while exposing a remarkable list of talking points he insisted the coach read out at a press conference.
Feud
Ronaldo stormed out of the Portugal camp after he remained an unused substitute against Norway and then found out he would not be utilised against Denmark.
Jesus has repeatedly opened the door for Ronaldo to return, although a report covered by The Peoples Person claimed that the forward has no interest in playing for his nation while Jesus is still in charge. The Al-Nassr star has scored 146 goals in 234 Portugal appearances, both world records, helping them win Euro 2016 and the Nations League twice.
Ronaldo had promised to reveal the “truth” of what really happened between himself and Jesus and now, he has released a lengthy statement outlining his version of events.
Ronaldo’s statement
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner wrote, “As I promised, I decided to recount, in the first person and directly, the circumstances surrounding the latest phase of the national team’s journey. After the 2026 World Cup, I prepared a message for the Portuguese people, which I still keep, containing the words I would like to address to them when I leave our team for good.”
“At the end of the tournament, on the return flight from the United States, the federation president asked me and insisted that I reconsider my decision to leave, because the Portuguese Football Federation wanted me to continue. Immediately afterwards, he asked me for my opinion on the name of the current national team coach, whom he was considering, along with other names he did not reveal to me.”
“I answered the federation president that, in my opinion, he would be the ideal choice. So, on the day the current national team coach was presented, I was genuinely happy with this choice. It was the right choice, as the results prove. A few days later, I received the first call from the new national team coach, in which he said he wanted to meet me in person. I answered in the affirmative, and we set a date for that. “The end of my holiday.”
“We met in the Cidade do Futebol, where my team was holding its pre-season training camp. The coach told me that day that he was counting on me and that my presence was essential to his project. He presented me with a plan for my immediate involvement. He said I would play the first and last matches, and that he would make three or four changes in each match for reasons related to physical fitness.”
“At that point, he suggested that I not travel with the national team to Norway and Denmark. He proposed that I play the first match and stay in Portugal, then join them before the match at the Estádio do Dragão. I rejected this proposal immediately. It seemed clear to me that I could not accept it. Not playing matches abroad would not mean I would not be the captain of our team. The privilege of staying in Portugal would not set a good example.
“In the end, the coach agreed with my analysis. Present at this conversation was Simo Coutinho, the sporting director of Al-Nassr, the person to whom the current national team coach had reported throughout last season, and one of those responsible for his joining the club in 2025.”
“On the eve of the training camp, the coach came to my home in Lisbon for another conversation with me at his request. The conversation was calm, and we adhered to all the principles agreed upon in August. I played the match at the Estádio do Alvalade, and despite being substituted, I did not cause any problems. I personally placed the captain’s armband on Bruno Fernandes, and it never occurred to me that I might be taking my final steps as a player and captain of the national team. The most important thing that day, for me, was that we won. Winning is always a good thing, and in Portugal, for my country, it is the best.”
“At lunchtime on the day of the match in Norway, the national team coach’s assistant came to the table where the team was having lunch and told me the coach wanted to speak with me. To my great surprise, the coach asked me if I was ready to play 30 minutes. I was completely focused on my physical recovery, integrated with my teammates as usual, and believing I would not play that day. No problem at all.”
“This request was outside my physical recovery and training plan, because I was only going to play on the fourth of the month at the Estádio do Dragão, but of course I agreed. He answered me that I should be ready because I would play 30 minutes. And the rest is known. I started warming up from half-time, watched the minutes go by, and no one called for me. The coach broke his promise.”
“At the end of the match, I just wanted everything to end with a win and to be alone. I did not go to greet the fans. A mistake for which I alone take responsibility, and which should not have happened. I apologise to the Portuguese people who supported us so passionately there, I apologise to the fans, and I apologise to those who travelled there to see me, even if they were not Portuguese, and whom I perhaps let down.”
“48 hours later, we had a conversation, myself, the coach and Simo Coutinho, because he was following our conversations. It was a very deep and candid moment, without any reservation. We agreed that there was only one way to end this ‘case’: that the coach repeat what he had just told me in private, in the presence of Simo Coutinho, but in the press conference room.”
“The agreement was simple: the coach would begin the press conference with this subject, trying to end the matter by telling the truth. He would say that I never asked to play, not even for a few minutes, and that the coach alone, no one else, was the one who proposed the plan for this training camp, and that it was a mistake to subject me to only warming up without playing, and that if it happened again, he would not do it.”
“We ended that meeting with the coach asking me for a hug, and he promised me that he would say in the press conference what he had just said to me, and that the matter was resolved. I would not play in Denmark, but I would play in the Dragão match. All of this took place in the presence of Simo Coutinho, as usual.”
“At the coach’s request, a video meeting was held between him, Simo Coutinho and Tiago Craveiro, to summarise what we had discussed. A brief document was prepared, which I personally approved, and it was delivered to the coach at his request.”
“The meeting was as expected: the conduct had nothing to do with our meeting; I heard expressions and aggression that I consider unjustified, and an attitude suggesting that he “wants, can, and orders” which he had never shown me, not even indirectly, in a private session, the day before. The notes I reviewed were as follows: I think it is important, because it is the truth, to clarify some matters before talking about Denmark:
“1. I personally proposed a plan for Cristiano, without anyone else, for this sporting season with the national team. It was a very long and fruitful conversation.”
“2. I know how much he loves the national team and his global standing, and even more than that, how positive his influence on the national team has been over 24 consecutive years.”
“3. The plan I proposed to Cristiano was accepted.”
“4. He never questioned my choices. He has been an example to follow, loyal, and professional.”
“5. The Norway match was not included in the plan I set out for him. However, I felt that he had physically recovered from the first match, and I warned him that I might have to involve him. Cristiano agreed.”
“6. I made a mistake by having a player of the stature of Pelé or Maradona only warm up without involving him in the match. If it were today, I would not do it.”
“7. And in short: I want Cristiano in the national team. In truth, I do not want him a little, but a lot. And fortunately, he too trusts me. He believed in me at Al-Nassr and here too.”
“8. As for not greeting the fans, we talked about this matter earlier. A player who has played more than 230 matches with the national team does not receive lessons from me on loving Portugal. It was a moment of frustration that erases nothing. He is the player who signs more than anyone else, takes the most selfies, and shows the most affection to the fans. Let us not create problems out of nothing. When we are not happy, we react. That is all there is to it. None of these notes mentioned, therefore, that the coach had apologised to me.”
“This was the second time he broke his promise.”
Ronaldo continues, “I decided to leave the training camp without waiting for another unfulfilled promise. For me, the truth remains the most important thing in relationships between people. No matter how painful it is, I want the truth to be told to me.”
“In fact, in a conversation I had with the president of the Portuguese Football Federation and the coach on the morning of that press conference, you can be sure of this, I assured them that if they did not want me there, they should tell me so. They just had to be honest with me. I would have accepted it and promised them that we would prepare something wonderful, as I hope will happen, and no one would be angry.
“I remember it as if it happened yesterday. They answered with one voice in the negative. That my place is in the national team. I never interfered, at any time, in any technical or tactical decision of any coach or national team official throughout nearly 25 years of my career. I accept, whether good or bad, what they propose. I respect the decision, and when they break my promise, I feel that my place is not here.”
“I also apologise to my national team teammates for leaving the training camp. For despite my complete breach of the coach’s trust, as everyone who witnessed these conversations can attest, I should not have done that. The responsibility falls on me alone. I apologise to the Portuguese people once again, but my breach of my promise had a profound effect on me. I felt that my continuing with the team, from that moment, would only cause it harm, so I did what I always said I would do if I did not feel useful: I packed my bags and left.”
“The Portuguese Football Federation must assess the consequences of my actions and punish me for them. I believe the punishment should not be reduced. I am not just an ordinary player; I am the captain of the team, and this is an aggravating factor. I have already apologised, but I know that actions have consequences. Anyone in the world of football, like me, knows that the rules are the same for everyone, regardless of individual standing.
“In this regard, I have heard a lot about farewell matches, and that I need a farewell befitting me, and that the federation wishes to grant me this opportunity. I learned in life, while suffering from hunger and having nothing to eat, that no one gives anything to anyone for free. I can promise all my fans, and especially the Portuguese people, that we will play one or more farewell matches; there will be time for that.”
“But when I think of the national team, what I really think about is the competition. This is what I thought about the day I received the news of my father’s death. I was in a training camp with our national team, and I decided to stay there until the end of the next day’s match. I did for my country what I would never do for any club.”
“So, if I am physically fit, playing with my team, and hopefully scoring goals, after my suspension period ends, I will be available, as I always have been, to compete and win with our national team.” “This, believe me, is the absolute truth.”
Featured image Yasser Bakhsh via Getty Images
