Cristiano Ronaldo recounts the dispute that led him to leave Portugal camp

Cristiano Ronaldo has spoken out about why he left Portugal’s camp and about his dispute with head coach Jorge Jesus. The captain says the disagreement began with a plan they had agreed on to manage his playing time, but that he left the team because he felt the coach had not kept his word.

Ronaldo says Jesus told him at their first meeting that he considered him an essential part of his project. He says he supported the coach’s choice. The two then agreed on a programme under which he would play the first and last matches of the camp, with three or four substitutions per game to manage his physical load.

Jesus also proposed that Ronaldo not travel for the two matches against Norway and Denmark. Ronaldo says he rejected that proposal. He put his position this way: «Not playing the away matches does not mean I will stop being the captain of our national team. This privilege of staying in Portugal would not set a good example.» He adds that the coach eventually shared his view.

The dispute came to a head during the match against Norway. While Ronaldo was having lunch, a member of the coaching staff told him that Jesus wanted to speak with him. Ronaldo says he had not expected to play: his physical preparation was focused on the next match in Porto. He nevertheless accepted the coach’s request and was told to be ready to come on. From half-time, he says, he felt the pressure building as the minutes passed without him being called into action.

Ronaldo says that two days later he met the coach in the presence of Simão Coutinho, Al-Nassr’s sporting director, who had taken part in their earlier discussions. According to Ronaldo, the purpose of the meeting was to bring their disagreement to an end. The agreement called for Jesus to acknowledge at a news conference that the original plan had been his proposal, that Ronaldo had not asked to play against Norway and that it had been a mistake to ask him to warm up without bringing him on. It was also agreed, he says, that Ronaldo would not play the next match against Denmark and would be available for the match against Porto.

Ronaldo says a video call later took place and that the coach’s position had changed radically from what he had expressed in their private meeting. A document had been drawn up setting out the points Jesus was expected to explain publicly, including that he had personally proposed the playing plan, that Ronaldo had accepted it without challenging his decisions and that the Norway match had not been part of his initial physical programme. «It was the second time he had gone back on his word,» Ronaldo said, adding that he then decided to leave the camp.

He also accepted responsibility for another part of the episode: not going over to greet the supporters. «It was a mistake for which I take full responsibility, and it should not have happened,» he said, before apologising to the supporters and everyone who had come to the stadium to see him. Ronaldo said he had also apologised to his team-mates for leaving: «I should not have done that. I am the only one responsible.»

After the 2026 World Cup, the president of the Portuguese Football Federation had asked him to reconsider his decision to leave the national team. Ronaldo says he stood by his choice. He said one or more matches in his honour could be organised, but stressed that competition remained his priority. He concluded that, after serving his suspension, he would be available to compete and win with the national team.