Cristiano Ronaldo has publicly explained the dispute that led him to leave Portugal’s national team camp, accusing head coach Jorge Jesus of breaking his word while accepting responsibility for his own dramatic departure.
The 41 year old captain issued a lengthy statement detailing what happened around Portugal’s recent UEFA Nations League matches. Reuters reports that Ronaldo said an agreement had initially been reached for him to miss the games against Norway and Denmark as part of managing his fitness.
According to Ronaldo, that plan later changed. He said Jesus told him he would play around 30 minutes against Norway, but Ronaldo ultimately remained an unused substitute despite warming up.
The situation escalated after the match. Ronaldo said he and Jesus subsequently agreed on how the coach would publicly explain what had happened, including a series of points intended to clarify that Ronaldo had respected the coach’s decisions and had not demanded playing time.
Ronaldo claims Jesus did not follow that agreement during his press conference. The Guardian reports that Ronaldo described an eight point document that he believed the coach had agreed to address publicly.
That breakdown in trust ultimately contributed to Ronaldo leaving Portugal’s camp before the Denmark match.
But Ronaldo also accepted responsibility for his reaction.
He apologized to his teammates and Portugal supporters and said he was prepared to accept whatever disciplinary action the Portuguese Football Federation considers appropriate. ESPN reports that Ronaldo specifically acknowledged he should not have left the camp despite his dispute with Jesus.
Most importantly for Portugal supporters, Ronaldo stopped short of retiring from international football.
He said that if he remains physically fit, continues playing and scoring for Al Nassr, he hopes to be available for Portugal again after serving any punishment imposed on him.
The statement leaves Portugal facing an extraordinary situation involving its most famous player and its head coach. Ronaldo has apologized, but his detailed accusations against Jesus suggest the dispute is far from completely resolved.
