Cristiano Ronaldo has finally clarified his side of the row that saw him walk out on the Portuguese national team during the international break. In a lengthy statement released on Tuesday evening, the veteran forward detailed a series of broken promises by head coach Jorge Jesus, culminating in his decision to leave the camp.
Ronaldo's account of the events
Ronaldo said that after the 2026 World Cup, he prepared a letter to the Portuguese people, which he still keeps, with the words he wants to address to them when he leaves the team for good. At the end of the competition, on the flight back from the United States, the President of the Federation asked and insisted that he reconsider his decision to leave, because the FPF wanted him to continue. Ronaldo was then asked for his opinion on the name of the current head coach, which the president was considering alongside other names. Ronaldo told the president that, in his opinion, it would be the right choice.
Ronaldo said he was genuinely happy with the choice on the day the coach was presented, believing it was the right option, as the results are confirming. A few days later, he received a first contact from the new coach, who wanted to meet in person. They met at the Cidade do Futebol, where his club was holding its pre-season training camp.
The plan and the broken promises
During that meeting, the coach told Ronaldo he was counting on him and that his presence was fundamental to his project. He presented a plan for Ronaldo's participation, saying he would play the first match and the last one, and that for reasons of physical management he would always make three to four changes per match. The coach raised the possibility of Ronaldo not travelling with the national team to Norway and Denmark, proposing he play the first match and stay in Portugal, then rejoin before the match at the Dragão. Ronaldo refused this proposal immediately.
Ronaldo said it was not because he would not play the matches abroad that he would stop captaining the team, and that the privilege of staying in Portugal would not be a good example. The coach ended up agreeing with his analysis. This conversation was attended by Simão Coutinho, sporting director of Al Nassr, the person to whom the coach reported throughout last season and one of those responsible for his signing by the club in 2025.
On the eve of the start of the camp, the coach came to Ronaldo's house in Lisbon for another conversation. The conversation was calm and all the principles agreed in August were maintained. Ronaldo played the match at Alvalade and, although substituted, made no problem of it. He put the armband on Bruno Fernandes himself, far from imagining he might be taking his last steps as a player and captain of the National Team.
The Norway match and the walkout
At lunchtime on the day of the match in Norway, an assistant to the coach informed Ronaldo that the coach wanted to speak to him. To his absolute surprise, the coach asked if he was fit to play 30 minutes. Ronaldo said he was fully focused on his physical recovery and thinking he would not play that day, but he said yes. The coach replied that he should be ready because he would play 30 minutes. Ronaldo warmed up from half-time, watched the minutes go by, and was not called. The coach had broken his word to him.
At the end of the match, Ronaldo only wanted everything to finish with the victory and to be alone. He did not go to greet the fans, a failing that is solely his responsibility and that should not have happened. He apologised to the Portuguese who supported them intensely there, to the fans, and to those who may have travelled there to see him and whom he may have disappointed.
Forty-eight hours later, a conversation took place between Ronaldo, the coach and Simão Coutinho. They agreed there was only one way to close the case: that the coach repeat what he had just told Ronaldo in private, in the presence of Simão Coutinho, but in the press room. The coach would begin the press conference with the subject, seeking to close the matter by telling the truth. He would say that Ronaldo never asked to play any minutes, that it was the coach and no one else who proposed the plan, and that it was a mistake to put Ronaldo on to warm up and then not bring him on, and that if it happened again he would not do it. The meeting ended with the coach asking Ronaldo for a hug, promising he would say at the conference what he had just said, and that the matter would be overcome. Ronaldo would not play in Denmark and would play the match at the Dragão.
At the coach's request, a meeting then took place between himself, Simão Coutinho and Tiago Craveiro by videoconference, in which what had been discussed was summarised. A short document was produced which Ronaldo validated and, with his knowledge, was delivered to the coach. The conference was what is known: the posture had nothing to do with the meeting. Ronaldo said he heard expressions and an aggressiveness that he does not believe he deserved, an attitude of 'I want, I can and I command' that the coach never showed him in private the day before.
The notes and the apology
Ronaldo shared the notes he validated, which included: that the coach himself proposed a plan to Ronaldo; that Ronaldo never questioned his options and was exemplary, loyal and professional; that the match in Norway was not part of the plan; that the coach made a mistake by putting someone of the stature of Pelé or Maradona on to warm up and then not putting him in the game; and that the coach wanted Ronaldo in the National Team. The notes also said that someone who has played more than 230 matches for the national team does not receive lessons on love for Portugal, and that Ronaldo is the player who gives the most autographs, takes the most selfies, and shows the most affection to the fans.
Ronaldo said none of these notes said that the coach should apologise to him. It was the second time the coach had broken his word. Ronaldo decided to leave the camp without waiting for any further breach of word. He said that for him the truth is still the most important thing in the relationship between people. In a conversation with the President of the FPF and the coach on the morning of the day of that press conference, he reaffirmed that if they did not want him there they should tell him. They replied in unison that no, that his place was in the National Team.
Ronaldo also owed an apology to his national team teammates for leaving the camp. Despite the absolute breach of trust in the coach's word, he said he should not have done it, and the responsibility is exclusively his. He apologised to the Portuguese people once again, but said the breaking of one's word has, for him, a defining impact. He felt that his remaining would only harm the working group, and he did what he has always said he would do if he did not feel useful: he packed his bags and left.
The consequence of this act must be assessed and punished by the Portuguese Football Federation. Ronaldo said he understands that the punishment should have no mitigating factors, and that he is not just any player; he is team captain, and that constitutes an aggravating factor. He has apologised, but he knows that attitudes must have consequences.
On the subject of farewell matches, Ronaldo said he learned in life that no one gives anything to anyone. He promised all his fans, and especially all Portuguese people, that there will be one or more farewell matches, but when he thinks of the national team, what he really thinks of is competing. He recalled the day he was given the news of his father's death, when he was at a camp with the national team and decided to stay until the end of the match the following day. He said he did for the country what he would never do for any club. Therefore, if he is physically well, playing for his club, with goals he hopes, after serving the suspension that may be applied to him, he will be available, as he has always been until today, to compete and win for the national team.
