Cristiano Ronaldo issues full statement after leaving Portugal training camp
Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday issued an official statement explaining why he left Portugal’s national team training camp ahead of the Denmark match and after missing the UEFA Nations League fixture against Norway. The 41-year-old captain said he would “tell the truth” about the events and set out a detailed chronology in his statement.
Ronaldo said his dispute with head coach Jorge Jesus began after he was an unused substitute in a late-September 2-1 Nations League win over Norway and that he departed the squad prior to the Denmark encounter. He described preparing a message for the Portuguese people after the 2026 World Cup and recounted conversations with the federation president, who he said asked him to reconsider retirement and sought his opinion on the coach candidate later chosen.
Ronaldo 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.” He said the federation president asked him to continue with the national team on the return flight from the United States and later asked his opinion about the name of the current national team coach, to which Ronaldo replied that the choice would be ideal.
He described an early meeting at the City of Football in which Jesus outlined a participation plan, saying: “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.” Ronaldo said Jesus suggested he not travel to Norway and Denmark and play only the first match and then join the squad before the Dragão match; Ronaldo rejected that proposal and said: “In the end, the coach agreed with my analysis.” He added that Simo Coutinho, identified as the sporting director of Al-Nassr, attended that conversation.
Ronaldo recalled a later visit by Jesus to his home in Lisbon and playing at the Alvalade stadium, where he said he placed the captain’s armband on Bruno Fernandes. He said, “At lunchtime on the day of the match in Norway, the national team’s assistant coach came to the table where the team was having lunch, and told me that the coach wanted to speak with me. To my great surprise, the coach asked me whether I was ready to play 30 minutes.” He said he warmed up at half-time, was not called on and that “the coach broke his promise.” He added: “I apologise to the Portuguese people who supported us enthusiastically 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 may have let down.”
Ronaldo said a subsequent meeting with Jesus and Simo Coutinho ended with an agreement that the coach would publicly repeat what he had told Ronaldo in private to end the matter, and that a video meeting including Tiago Craveiro and a brief document approved by Ronaldo followed. He described the press conference as failing to reflect what had been agreed and quoted notes he reviewed from that session: “1. I personally proposed a plan for Cristiano, without anyone else, for this sporting season with the national team. It was a long and very 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 had 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 field him. Cristiano agreed.6. I made a mistake fielding a player of the stature of Pelé or Maradona in the warm-up only without playing him in the match. If it were today, I would not do that.7. And in short: I want Cristiano in the national team. In truth, I do not want him a little, I want him a lot. And fortunately, he also trusts me. He believed in me at Al-Nassr and here as well.8. As for not greeting the fans, we spoke 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 autographs than anyone else, takes the most selfies, and shows the most affection to the fans. Let us not invent problems out of nothing. When we are not happy, we react. That is all there is to it. None of these notes, therefore, mentioned that the coach had apologised to me.”
Ronaldo said the coach broke his promise a second time and that he “decided to leave the training camp without waiting for another unfulfilled promise.” He offered an apology to teammates: “I (Cristiano Ronaldo) also apologise to my teammates in the national team 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 so. The responsibility falls on me alone.” He added that “The Portuguese Football Federation must assess the consequences of my actions and punish me for them. I believe the punishment should not be lightened.” Ronaldo also addressed discussion of farewell matches, saying: “I can promise all my fans, and especially the Portuguese people, that we will play one or more farewell matches; there will be a time for that.”
“So, if I (Cristiano Ronaldo) 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.”
