Cristiano Ronaldo, a superstar for Portugal, has spoken out about his decision to leave the national team camp.
Ronaldo went into depth about his rift with head coach Jorge Jesus, whom he claimed had betrayed his word.
According to the 41-year-old, he was convinced not to retire after the 2026 World Cup.
But he’s officially declared his availability for upcoming matches against Portugal.
Concluding Remarks:
Regarding Jorge Jesus, this is the actual truth.
I will now give you the rundown of what happened during the most recent National Team training camp in the first person, as I had promised.
I still have the letter I wrote to the Portuguese people after the 2026 World Cup, which contains the words I want to say to them when I finally leave our team.
Even though I had already booked my return trip from the US when the tournament ended, the Federation President pleaded with me to think again about leaving, saying that the FPF wanted me to keep going.
Immediately after that, he wanted my opinion on the present head coach’s name—and a few more he didn’t tell me about—among others.
It seemed like the best option to me, therefore I conveyed it to the Federation President.
That is why I was overjoyed with the selection of our current head coach when the news was announced. According to the results, that was the best choice.
A new national team coach expressed interest in meeting with me in person and contacted me a few days later. After I confirmed, we set the date for when my vacation would come to a close.
Our paths crossed at the Cidade do Futebol, site of my club’s annual preseason training session.
The coach informed me that day that I was crucial to his endeavour and that he was dependent on me. In that same moment, he laid out a strategy for my involvement. For the sake of physical management, he said he would always make three or four substitutions per match, and that I would start the first and last matches.
I was almost left out of the national team’s trip to Denmark and Norway when he brought up the subject. He suggested that I participate in the initial match while remaining in Portugal, and then return before the Dragão match.
This proposition was promptly rejected by me. That I would be unable to accept it was crystal clear to me. I would never resign as captain of our team just because I refused to compete in matches held outside of our country. The opportunity to remain in Portugal would not serve as an exemplary example.
Ultimately, the coach came around to my point of view.
Simão Coutinho, the sporting director of Al Nassr, was present during this discussion. Coutinho was the coach’s supervisor last season and was instrumental in the club’s decision to recruit him in 2025.
At his request, the coach paid a return visit to my Lisbon home the nite before camp began so we could have one more chat. There was no drama, and everyone stuck to the principles they had agreed upon in August.
Despite being substituted, I played the entire match at Alvalade. I didn’t think I would be saying goodbye to my time as a player and national team captain when I personally placed the armband on Bruno Fernandes. That day, our triumph was all that mattered to me. A win is a win, but it’s much greater when it’s for Portugal and my nation.
The coach wanted to talk with me during lunchtime on the day of the match in Norway, so an assistant of the coach approached the group’s lunch table and told me this.
The coach unexpectedly wanted to know if I was healthy enough to play for half a game. I was sure I wouldn’t play that day, so I concentrated on becoming physically ready, worked in seamlessly with my teammates, and did my best to avoid distractions. Absolutely no issues.
Since my only scheduled performance was on the 4th at the Dragão, this request was not part of my physical recovery and training plan. Nevertheless, I gladly agreed. In response, he told me to get ready since I would be playing for thirty minutes.
The rest is common knowledge. I waited for the whistle to blow after warming up at halftime, but no one ever called on me.
In his promise to me, the coach had betrayed me.
When the match was over, all I wanted was to be alone and for it to end with a triumph. I refrained from going to meet the supporters. An error that ought not to have occurred and for which I am entirely responsible. I want to say sorry to the Portuguese people who came out in force to cheer us on, to the fans, and to anyone who may have travelled all the way to see me but wasn’t Portuguese and was let down by my performance.
Since Simão Coutinho had been our escort in August, forty-eight hours later the coach, I, and Coutinho had a conversation. It was a profound, unfiltered, heartfelt moment.
We reached a consensus that the best way to conclude this “case” was for the coach to reiterate his previous statement to me in the press room, away from Simão Coutinho, in private.
The coach was expected to start the press conference by addressing this situation, with the goal of resolving it via honesty. He would insist that I had never requested playing time, that the idea for this camp came from the coach alone, that warming up with the team was a mistake, and that he would not do it again.
The coach asked me to hug him as we parted ways, assuring me that we would resolve the issue and repeating everything he had said to me at the conference. I would prefer to play the match in the Dragão instead of in Denmark. At all times, Simão Coutinho was there.
Summarising our previous discussion, a videoconference meeting was then convened by the coach, Simão Coutinho, and Tiago Craveiro.
I personally reviewed and approved the final document before it was sent to the coach per his request.
The conference was as expected: the posture had no bearing on our discussion; I overheard hostility and language that I do not think were appropriate; he displayed an attitude of “I want, I can and I command” that he never even hinted at in private the day before.
Here are the notes that I verified:
I feel the need to explain a few points before we discuss Denmark, and not only because it is the truth:
Cristiano’s strategy for the upcoming National Team season was conceptualised solely by myself. The conversation was lengthy and fruitful.
I am well-aware of his devotion to the national team, his immense global influence, and, most importantly, the positive impact he has had on the team for twenty-four years running.
Final point: Cristiano went along with the strategy I suggested.
I was always given all the options by him. Professional, devoted, and exemplary—that is what he was.
The strategy I made for him did not include the match in Norway. 5. But I thought his body had healed enough from the first fight that I would need to utilise him, so I cautioned him. I agree, Cristiano.
It was a mistake on my part to warm up with a player of Pelé’s or Maradona’s calibre and then bench them. I wouldn’t go through with it if it were today.
I would like Cristiano to be a part of the national team, just to wrap things up. Actually, I want him a lot—not a little bit. The good news is that he shares my confidence. Just as he did at Al Nassr, he believes here.
Regarding the spectators not being greeted. That has previously been discussed. I am not going to teach someone who has played in over 230 national team matches how to love Portugal. A fleeting fit of rage can never be erased. He takes more selfies, signs more autographs, and demonstrates more fan love than any other athlete. Please do not make issues out of thin air. Our reactions are based on how we feel. Then it was over.
So, it is clear that the coach did not even feel the need to apologise to me in any of these messages.
This was his second time betraying my trust.
Without waiting for any additional violation of word, I chose to depart from the camp. When it comes to human relationships, the truth is paramount in my opinion. Allow them to tell me the truth, no matter how much pain it causes.
Actually, I reminded the FPF president and coach in a chat I had the morning of the press conference (they can corroborate this) that they should have told me if they did not want me there. For them to be honest with me, that was sufficient. I would gladly take that and make good on my promise that we will plan something lovely so that everyone is happy.
Even now, I can vividly recall it. They all said “no” simultaneously. That the National Team was where I belonged.
Throughout my nearly 25-year career, I have patiently observed every technical and tactical decision made by every coach and national team manager without ever interfering.
Whatever they suggest I do, I will do it, good or bad. Although I acknowledge the decision’s validity, I am dissatisfied when they fail to honour their commitments to me.
My teammates on the national team also deserve my sincere apologies for my departure from training.
I should not have done it, even though there was a complete lack of faith in the coach’s word (as anyone who was there can tell you). The onus is squarely on my shoulders.
Refusing to keep one’s word is, in my opinion, a defining moment, and for this I am very sorry to the Portuguese people. I did what I’ve always promised to do if I didn’t feel like contributing: I packed up and left. After that, I realised that staying would hurt the working group.
The Portuguese football federation needs to figure out what happened as a result of my action and punish me accordingly. It is my understanding that there should be no mitigating circumstances in the sentence. The fact that I am the captain of my squad, rather than just any player, is a major source of frustration.
I have already apologised, but I know that attitudes must have repercussions. Anyone who is in football as I am knows that, regardless of each person’s standing, the rules are the same for everyone.
On this matter, I have heard a tremendous deal of talk about farewell matches, that I must have a respectful farewell and that the Federation wishes to offer me that opportunity.
I learned in life, often hungry and with little to eat, that no one offers anything to anyone.
I can assure all my fans, naturally and especially the Portuguese people, that we will have one or more farewell matches; there will be time for that.
But when I think of the national team, what I actually think about is competing. That is what I thought on the day I was given the news of my father’s death.
I was at a camp with our national team and I opted to stay there till the finish of the match the following day. I did for the country what I would never do for any club.
Therefore, if I am physically good, playing for my club, with goals I hope, after serving the suspension that may be handed to me, I will be available, like I have always been until today, to compete and win for our national team.
I assure you, this is the most unadulterated fact.
Ronaldo in the middle.