Cristiano Ronaldo apologised to his teammates for walking out of Portugal's training camp ahead of the Denmark match, but accused head coach Jorge Jesus of breaking promises about his playing time. The 41-year-old captain and all-time top scorer clarified his position in a near 2,000-word public statement on October 6, after being an unused substitute in the 2-1 Nations League win over Norway.
Ronaldo explained that Jesus initially presented a plan where the player would start the opening and final home group games but not travel for the matches in Norway and Denmark. The captain rejected that idea, arguing it would set a poor example to stay home while teammates travelled. Before the Norway game, the coach asked if he was fit to play 30 minutes. Ronaldo agreed and warmed up from half-time, but was never brought on.
"I owe an apology to my national team teammates for having left the camp," said Ronaldo. After the match, the player spoke with Jesus and they agreed the coach would apologise in a press conference ahead of the Denmark game. However, Ronaldo felt Jesus's demeanour at the conference was different from what was agreed, showing an aggressiveness he had never experienced. Faced with that, he decided to leave the camp without waiting for further broken promises.
The Al-Nassr forward accepts he should be punished for his departure, with no mitigating circumstances because he is captain, and is willing to serve any suspension imposed by the Portuguese Football Federation. However, he ruled out any international retirement. "I will be available, as I have always been until today, to compete and win for our national team," he stated.
Jorge Jesus's team, appointed after the World Cup round of 16 exit, remains strong in the Nations League. Portugal won their first four games in Group A4, securing quarter-final qualification with two matches to spare. Without Ronaldo, the side beat Norway 2-1, with goals from João Cancelo and Gonçalo Ramos, and Denmark 4-2 in a solid collective display.
Jesus left the door open for his captain's return, while the team maintains impressive form. In the last five matches, Portugal has four consecutive wins following a defeat to Spain, a record visible in our standings. Ronaldo, who has 146 goals in 234 caps, said he will have one or more farewell matches and will tell the truth about his decision. The next stage comes in November, with the final group games against Denmark and Wales.
This story first appeared at The Hindu Sport
