Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed he has no intention of retiring from international football despite a high-profile fallout with head coach Jorge Jesus, while apologising for walking out of the national squad's training camp.
"If I am physically fit, playing for my club, and hopefully scoring goals, after serving the suspension that will be imposed on me, I will be available, as I have always been until now, to compete and win for our National Team," Ronaldo said in an extensive statement released on his Instagram account.
The dispute stems from what the 41-year-old forward described as repeated "broken promises" by Jesus.
According to Ronaldo, the manager initially presented a workload-management plan stipulating that the forward would not feature in away fixtures against Norway and Denmark.
However, on the day of the Norway match, Jesus asked whether he could play 30 minutes.
Ronaldo agreed and warmed up throughout the second half, but Jesus never brought him on.
Captaincy apology
"The coach had broken his word to me," Ronaldo said.
Following subsequent discussions involving Jesus and Al Nassr Sporting Director Simao Coutinho, Ronaldo stated an understanding was reached that the manager would publicly clarify the circumstances.
When Jesus failed to provide that public clarification, Ronaldo withdrew from the squad entirely, calling it the second time the manager had broken his commitment.
"I decided to quit the internship without waiting for any more broken promises. For me, the truth is still the most important thing in relationships between people," he explained.
Despite his grievances, Ronaldo expressed remorse for abandoning the squad before their fixtures, acknowledging his conduct fell short of standards expected of a team leader.
"I also owe an apology to my teammates for abandoning the training camp," Ronaldo stated.
"Despite the complete breach of trust in the coach's word, as anyone who witnessed these conversations can attest, I shouldn't have done it. The responsibility is solely mine."
He also apologised to supporters for failing to greet them after the Norway fixture, conceding the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) should treat his captaincy as an aggravating factor when determining disciplinary sanctions.
Ronaldo revealed he initially considered stepping away from international football after the 2026 World Cup before federation executives persuaded him to continue.
