Cristiano Ronaldo says he remains committed to Portugal and will make himself available for selection once any suspension has been served, despite the controversy surrounding his departure from the national team camp.
The 41-year-old Al Nassr forward had cast doubt on his international future after leaving the squad, but a lengthy statement shared with Reuters confirmed he has no plans to retire from Portugal duty.
“If I am physically well, playing for my club, with goals I hope, after serving the suspension that may be applied to me, I will be available, as I have always been until today, to compete and win for our national team,” Ronaldo said.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner apologised to his team-mates and the Portuguese public for leaving the camp, while acknowledging that he could face disciplinary action.
Ronaldo quit the squad after being an unused substitute in Portugal’s 2-1 Nations League victory away to Norway on September 27. He said he had previously agreed with manager Jorge Jesus that he would not play in either that match or the fixture against Denmark, as part of a plan to manage his fitness.
According to Ronaldo, that arrangement changed on the day of the Norway game, when Jesus told him he would feature for 30 minutes.
“Everyone knows the rest. I warmed up from halftime onwards, watched the minutes tick by and wasn’t called on,” Ronaldo said.
“The manager had broken his word to me.”
Ronaldo said it was the second occasion on which he believed Jesus had failed to honour an agreement.
“It was the second time he had broken his word to me,” he said. “I decided to leave the training camp without waiting for any further broken promises.”
Ronaldo rejects tactical interference claim
The Portugal captain denied trying to influence the manager’s tactical or technical decisions, saying the dispute was instead about mutual trust and respect.
“Never, at any moment, have I interfered in any technical or tactical decision of any coach or national team manager in almost 25 years of career,” Ronaldo said.
“I accept, for better or worse, what they propose that I do. I respect the decision, and when they break their word to me, I feel that my place is not there.”
Jesus has denied agreeing with Ronaldo over his involvement against Norway and Denmark, although he has indicated that the forward could return to the national team.
Ronaldo said he would “tell the truth” about the disagreement in the future.
He also dismissed suggestions that his priority was securing a farewell appearance. While accepting that one or more such matches would eventually take place, Ronaldo said his immediate focus remained competing and winning for Portugal.
“I can promise all my fans, naturally and especially all 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 really think of is competing.”
He recalled remaining with Portugal after learning of his father’s death, staying at camp until the conclusion of the following day’s match.
“I did for the country what I would never do for any club,” he said.
Ronaldo is Portugal’s record goalscorer, with 146 goals in 234 appearances. His future will depend on the dispute with Jesus and any punishment imposed by the Portuguese Football Federation, but he has made clear that he still wants to play for his country.
