Cristiano Ronaldo broke his silence this Tuesday via an extensive statement, explaining exactly what transpired during Portugal's training camp and the reasons that led him to leave the Portuguese delegation in Copenhagen. The captain confirmed the meetings held, the conversations with Jorge Jesus, and the fact that he's not retiring from international football.
In the statement released this Tuesday, Cristiano Ronaldo begins by noting that after the 2026 World Cup, he wrote "a letter to the Portuguese people, which I still keep, containing the words I want to address to them when I finally leave our team."
The captain of Portugal confirmed that, on the flight back from the United States following the 2026 World Cup, Pedro Proenca asked him to "reconsider the decision" to leave the national team after the competition.
"Immediately afterward, he asked for my opinion on the name of the current manager (Jorge Jesus) and mentioned he was considering him, along with other names he did not reveal to me. I replied to the Federation President that, in my opinion, he would be the right choice. Therefore, on the day the current manager was presented, I was genuinely happy with the selection. It was the right option, as the results have been proving," added Cristiano Ronaldo, referring to the Portuguese Football Federation's (FPF) choice of Jorge Jesus as Roberto Martínez's successor.
"A few days later, I received an initial contact from the new national team manager saying he would like to meet with me in person. I said yes, and we scheduled it for the end of my vacation. We met at the Cidade do Futebol, where my club was holding its pre-season camp. That day, the manager told me he was counting on me and that my presence was fundamental to his project. He immediately presented a plan for my participation. He told me I would play the first and last matches, and that for physical management reasons, he would always make three to four changes per match."
Ronaldo then noted that the possibility of him not travelling to Norway and Denmark was raised.
"He proposed that I play the first match and remain in Portugal, to then rejoin the team before the match at the Dragão. I immediately refused this proposal. It seemed evident to me that I could not accept it. I would not stop captaining our team just because I wasn't playing the matches abroad. That privilege of staying in Portugal would not set a good example. The manager eventually agreed with my assessment," revealed the national team captain.
"This conversation was attended by Simao Coutinho, the Al Nassr Sporting Director - the person to whom the current manager reported throughout last season and one of those responsible for his hiring by the club in 2025. On the eve of the training camp, the manager traveled to my home in Lisbon for another conversation with me, at his request. The conversation was calm, and all the principles agreed upon in August were maintained. I played the match at Alvalade, and although I was substituted, I didn't cause any trouble. I put the armband on Bruno Fernandes myself, far from imagining that I might be taking my final steps as an athlete and captain of the National Team. The important thing that day, for me, was our victory. Winning is always good, but winning for my Country is even better."
"At lunchtime on the day of the match in Norway, one of the manager's assistants came to the table where the group was having lunch and informed me that the manager wanted to speak with me. To my absolute surprise, the manager asked me if I was fit to play 30 minutes. I was totally focused on my physical recovery, integrated with my teammates as always, and thinking that I wouldn't play that day. Without any problem. This request was outside my physical recovery and training plan—because I was only supposed to play on the 4th at the Dragão—but obviously, I said yes. He told me to be ready because I would play 30 minutes. The rest, everyone knows. I warmed up from halftime, watched the minutes pass, and was not called on. The manager had gone back on his word."
"I didn't go to greet the fans; that shouldn't have happened"
"At the end of the match, I just wanted everything to end with the victory and to be left alone. I didn't go to greet the fans. A failure that is entirely my responsibility and should not have happened. I apologize to the Portuguese people who supported us there intensely; I apologize to the fans and to those who, even if they aren't Portuguese, may have traveled there to see me and whom I may have disappointed"
The confirmation of the meeting
"48 hours later, we had a conversation - myself, the manager, and Simao Coutinho, since he had been the one accompanying our August conversations. It was a deep, very direct moment, without any filters. We agreed that there was only one way to end this 'case': for the manager to repeat what he had just told me there in private, in the presence of Simao Coutinho, but in the press room. What was agreed was simple: the manager would start the press conference on this topic, seeking to close the matter by telling the truth. He would say that I never asked to play any minutes, that it was the manager and no one else who proposed the plan for this camp, that it was a mistake to put me to warm up only to not bring me on, and that if it were to happen again, he wouldn't do it. We ended that meeting with the manager asking me for a hug, promising me that he would say in the conference what he had just told me, and that the matter would be resolved. I would not play in Denmark and would play the match at the Dragão. All of this in the presence of Simão Coutinho, always. At the manager's request, a videoconference meeting then took place between him, Simão Coutinho, and Tiago Craveiro, in which what we had discussed was summarized", explained Cristiano Ronaldo.
The document that Jesus did not read
Afterward, Cristiano Ronaldo confirms that a document was created, containing those eight points, which were to be read by Jorge Jesus at the press conference in Copenhagen. Something that did not happen, and which precipitated Cristiano Ronaldo's decision to leave the camp.
"A small document was produced that I validated myself and which, with my knowledge, was delivered to the manager, just as he had requested. The conference was what everyone knows: the stance had nothing to do with our meeting; I heard expressions and an aggressiveness that I believe I do not deserve—an attitude of 'I decide, I can, I command' that he never displayed to me, not even remotely, in private on the eve of the conference," confesses the captain of Portugal, who even refers to the notes that he validated.
“I think it is important, precisely because it is the truth, to clarify a few things before talking about Denmark:
1. I personally proposed to Cristiano, without anyone else involved, a plan for him for this sporting season with the National Team. It was a long and very good conversation.
2. I know how much he lives and loves the National Team and the weight he carries in the world; even more so, the weight and the positive influence he has had on the National Team for 24 consecutive years.
3. The plan I proposed to Cristiano was accepted.
4. He never questioned my options. He was exemplary, loyal, and professional.
5. The plan I drafted for him did not include the match in Norway. However, I felt that he had managed to recover physically from the first match, and I warned him that I might have to use him. Cristiano agreed.
6. I erred by putting someone of the stature of Pelé or Maradona to warm up, only to not bring him into the match. If it were today, I would not do it.
7. To end the subject: I want Cristiano in the National Team. Actually, I don't just want him a little, I want him a lot. Fortunately, he also believes in me. He believed in me at Al Nassr, and he does here too.
8. Regarding not greeting the fans. We have already talked about that. Whoever plays more than 230 matches for the National Team does not need lessons in love for Portugal from me. It was a moment of frustration that does not erase anything. He is the player who gives the most autographs, who takes the most selfies, and who is most affectionate toward the fans. Let's not invent problems where none exist. When we aren't happy, we react. It was just that.”
Read more - The chronicle of an announced farewell: The chronology of the Ronaldo case
Apologies to teammates and the Portuguese people
"It was the second time he had broken his word to me," says Cristiano Ronaldo. "I decided to leave the training camp without waiting for another broken promise. For me, truth remains the most important thing in a relationship between people. No matter how much it hurts, tell me the truth," he adds.
"Never, at any moment, have I interfered in any technical or tactical decision of any coach or manager in nearly 25 years of my career. I accept what they propose I do, whether I like it or not. I respect the decision, and when they break their word to me, I feel that my place is no longer there," explains the captain of Portugal, who in the statement apologized to his national teammates and the Portuguese people.
"I also owe an apology to my national teammates for having left the training camp. Despite the absolute breach of trust regarding the manager's word, as anyone who witnessed these conversations can testify, I should not have done it. The responsibility is exclusively mine. I apologize to the Portuguese people once again, but the breach of promise has, for me, a defining impact. I felt that, from that point on, my stay would only harm the working group, and I did what I always said I would do if I didn't feel useful: I packed my bags and left", states Cristiano Ronaldo.
"The consequence of this act of mine should be evaluated and punished by the Portuguese Football Federation. I understand that the punishment should have no mitigating factors. I am not just any player; I am the team captain, and that constitutes an aggravating factor. I have already apologized, but I know that actions must have consequences. Anyone who has been in football as long as I have knows that, regardless of one's status, the rules are the same for everyone. In this regard, I have heard a lot about farewell matches, that I must have a dignified farewell, and that the Federation wants to give me that opportunity. I learned in life, while hungry and often having nothing to eat, that no one gives anyone anything," adds the Portugal forward.
Read more - Jesus opens the door to Ronaldo's return, but throws out: "I don't apologize to anyone"
"I will be available to compete and win for our national team"
"I can promise all my fans, naturally and especially all the Portuguese, that we will have one or more farewell matches; there will be time for that. But when I think about the national team, what I really think about is competing. That is what I thought about on the day they gave me the news of my father's death. I was at our national team training camp and decided to stay there until the match the following day ended. I did for the Country what I would never do for any club," states Cristiano Ronaldo, ending the extensive statement with the guarantee that he is available to return to the national team as early as November, if that is the understanding of the FPF leadership and the national team manager, Jorge Jesus.
"Therefore, if I am physically well, playing for my club, and hopefully scoring goals, after fulfilling the suspension imposed on me, I will be available, as I have always been until today, to compete and win for our National Team. This is, believe me, the purest of truths", concludes the captain of the Portugal national team.
