Cristiano Ronaldo explained this Tuesday the reasons that led him to leave the Portugal national team camp and launched harsh criticism against coach Jorge Jesus, whom he accused of breaking agreements previously reached and changing his version of events.
The Portuguese captain published an extensive statement in which he recounted, in first person, the conversations he had with Jorge Jesus before and during the last international training camp.
According to Ronaldo, the coach initially presented him with a participation plan that contemplated him playing the first and last match of the training camp, while he would stay in Portugal to physically prepare for the match against Norway.
The forward rejected that possibility because he considered that, as captain, he had to accompany the team on international trips.
Cristiano Ronaldo accuses Jorge Jesus of changing the agreement
The conflict worsened during the rally. Ronaldo assured that, before the game against Norway, a member of the coaching staff told him that Jorge Jesus wanted to talk to him and that he could play for around 30 minutes.
The Portuguese began to warm up during the break, but finally did not enter the field of play.
Ronaldo stated that he subsequently had a conversation with Jorge Jesus and Simão Coutinho, sporting director of Al Nassr, in which they agreed on how to publicly explain what happened.
According to the footballer’s story, the coach had to admit to the media that he had been the one who had proposed the participation plan, that Ronaldo had never demanded to play and that it had been a mistake to make him warm up and then not use him.
However, Cristiano assured that Jorge Jesus’ subsequent public appearance did not coincide with what was previously discussed.
“It was the second time I broke my word,” Ronaldo said in his statement, referring to his decision to leave the training camp.
Ronaldo admits his mistake and apologizes
Despite his criticism of the coach, Cristiano Ronaldo also took responsibility for leaving the training camp.
The forward apologized to his Portugal teammates and the fans for leaving the team before completing the training camp.
He also acknowledged that he did not greet the fans after the game against Norway and described that decision as a mistake that was his sole responsibility.
Ronaldo maintained that he made the decision to leave because he considered that continuing in the camp could harm the team after having lost confidence in the coach’s word.
Cristiano Ronaldo accepts a possible sanction
The Portuguese captain also pointed out that the consequences of his decision must be determined by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) and considered that his status as captain must be taken into account when assessing what happened.
Ronaldo also rejected the idea that his priority is to receive a farewell match for the national team.
The forward explained that when he thinks about Portugal he thinks about competing and winning, not about a farewell.
For this reason, he left the door open to continue defending the team once the eventual sanction has been served and as long as he is physically fit.
“If I am in good physical shape, playing for my club and, hopefully, scoring goals, after serving my suspension, I will be available, as I always have been, to compete and win with our national team,” he said.
The statement, dated October 6, 2026, thus leaves Cristiano Ronaldo’s continuity with Portugal open and deepens the controversy with Jorge Jesus after his departure from the last concentration.
