The captain confirmed the meetings and conversations with Jorge Jesus, the document the manager should have read, and, after apologising to his teammates and the Portuguese people, he assured that he is available to wear the national team’s shirt once again, whilst advocating an exemplary punishment for his behaviour.
In the statement released on Tuesday, 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 wish to address to them when I leave our team for good".
The Portugal captain confirms that Pedro Proenca asked him, on the return flight from the United States following the 2026 World Cup, to "consider the decision" to leave the national team after the tournament.
"Straight afterwards, he asked me to give him my opinion on the name of the current manager, whom he was considering alongside other names he did not reveal to me.
"I replied to the President of the Federation that, in my opinion, it would be the right choice. So, on the day the current manager was presented, I was genuinely pleased with the choice. It was the right decision, as the results are proving," adds Ronaldo, referring to the FPF’s choice of Jesus as Roberto Martinez’s successor.
"A few days later, I received an initial message from the new national team manager saying he’d like to meet me in person. I agreed, and we arranged to meet at the end of my holidays. We met at Cidade do Futebol, where my club were holding their pre-season training camp.
"The manager told me that day that he was counting on me and that my presence was essential to his project. He presented me, right there and then, with a plan for my involvement. He told me I would play the first and last matches and that, for fitness management reasons, he would always make three or four substitutions per match."
Ronaldo went on to say that the possibility of not travelling to Norway and Denmark had been raised.
“He suggested I play the first match and stay in Portugal, before rejoining the squad ahead of the match at the Dragão. I turned down this proposal straight away. It seemed obvious to me that I couldn’t accept it. I wouldn’t stop captaining our team just because I wasn’t playing the matches abroad. That privilege of staying in Portugal wouldn’t set a good example. The manager eventually agreed with my view,” revealed the national team captain.
“This conversation was attended by Simao Coutinho, Al Nassr’s sporting director – the person to whom the current manager reported throughout last season and one of those responsible for his signing by the club in 2025.
"On the eve of the training camp, the manager came to my home in Lisbon to have another conversation with me, at his request. The conversation was calm and all the principles agreed in August were upheld. I played in the match at Alvalade, and although I was substituted, I made no fuss.
"I put the captain’s armband on Bruno Fernandes myself, never imagining that I might be taking my final steps as a player and captain of the national team. The important thing about that day, for me, was our victory. Winning is always good; in Portugal and for my country, it’s even better."
"At lunchtime on the day of the match in Norway, an assistant to the manager came over to the table where the squad were having lunch and told me that the manager wanted to speak to me. To my absolute surprise, the manager asked me if I was up for playing 30 minutes. I was fully focused on my physical recovery, getting on well with my teammates as always, and assuming I wouldn’t be playing that day. No problem at all.
"This request was somewhat outside my physical recovery and training plan – because I was only due to play on the 4th at the Dragao – but obviously I said yes. He told me to be ready then, as I’d be playing for 30 minutes. Everyone knows the rest. I warmed up from half-time, watched the minutes tick by and wasn’t called on. The manager had gone back on his word.
"At the end of the match, I just wanted it all to be over with the win and to be left alone. I didn’t go over to greet the fans. That was a mistake for which I alone am responsible, and it shouldn’t have happened.
"I apologise to the Portuguese people who supported us so passionately there; I apologise to the fans; and I apologise to those who, though not Portuguese, may have travelled there to see me and whom I may have let down."
Confirmation of meeting
"Forty-eight hours later, we had a conversation – myself, the manager and Simao Coutinho, as he had been the one to follow our discussions back in August. It was a profound moment, very frank, without any kind of filter. We agreed that there was only one way to put an end to this 'affair': for the manager to repeat what he had just told me in private, in the presence of Simao Coutinho, but in the press room.
"What was agreed was simple: the manager would begin the press conference by addressing this issue, seeking to put an end to the matter by telling the truth. He would say that I had never asked for any playing time, that it was the manager and no one else who had proposed the plan for this training camp, that it had been a mistake to have me warm up only for me not to come on, and that if it happened again, he wouldn’t do it.
"We ended that meeting with the manager asking for a hug, promising me that he would say at the press conference what he’d just told me, and that the matter was now behind us. I wouldn’t be playing in Denmark, but I would play in the match at the Dragao.
"All of this took place in the presence of Simao Coutinho, as always. At the manager’s request, a meeting then took place via video conference between himself, Simao Coutinho and Tiago Craveiro, during which we summarised what we had discussed."
The document Jesus did not read
Ronaldo then confirmed that a document had been drawn up, containing those eight points, which was to be read out by Jesus at the press conference in Copenhagen. This did not happen, and it precipitated Ronaldo’s decision to leave the training camp.
"A short document was drawn up, which I myself approved and which, to my knowledge, was handed over to the manager, just as he had requested.
"The press conference went as we know: his demeanour had nothing to do with our meeting; I heard remarks and a level of aggression that I feel I do not deserve – an attitude of 'I want, I can and I command' that he never displayed towards me, not even remotely, in private, the day before."
"I think it’s important – not least because it’s the truth – to clarify a few things before talking about Denmark:
1. I myself, and no one else, proposed a plan to Cristiano for him this season with the national team. It was a long and very good conversation.
2. I know how much he lives for and loves the national team and the stature it holds in the world; moreover, the stature and 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 decisions. He was exemplary, loyal and professional.
5. The match against Norway was not part of the plan I had drawn up for him. However, I felt he had managed to recover physically from the first match and I told him I might have to play him. Cristiano agreed.
6. I made a mistake in bringing on someone of the calibre of Pelé or Maradona to warm up and then not playing him. If it were today, I wouldn’t do it.
7. To put an end to the matter: I want Cristiano in the national team. In fact, I don’t just want him a little – I want him very much. Fortunately, he believes in me too. He believed in Al Nassr and he believes in me here as well.
8. Regarding not greeting the fans. We’ve already spoken about that. Anyone who’s played over 230 matches for the national team doesn’t need lessons from me on love for Portugal. It was a moment of frustration that doesn’t take anything away from his achievements. He’s the player who signs the most autographs, takes the most selfies, and shows the fans the most affection. Let’s not create problems where none exist. When we’re not happy, we react. That’s all there was to it."
Apologies to teammates and Portuguese people
"It was the second time I’d been let down on my word," says Ronaldo. "I decided to leave the training camp without waiting for any further broken promises. For me, the truth is still the most important thing in relationships between people. However much it hurts, let them tell me the truth," he adds.
"Never, at any point, have I interfered in any technical or tactical decision made by any coach or manager in my nearly 25-year career. I accept, for better or worse, whatever they ask me to do. I respect the decision and when they go back on their word, I feel that my place is not there," he said, who in the statement apologised to his international teammates and the Portuguese people.
"I also owe an apology to my teammates for leaving the training camp. Despite the complete breach of trust in the national team manager’s word – as anyone who witnessed these conversations can attest – I should not have done so. The responsibility lies solely with me.
"I apologise to the Portuguese people once again, but breaking one’s word has, for me, a defining impact. I felt that, from that point on, my continued presence would only harm the team, so I did what I always said I would do if I no longer felt useful: I packed my bags and left.
"The consequences of my actions must be assessed and punished by the Portuguese Football Federation. I understand that there should be no mitigating circumstances for the punishment. I am not just any player; I am the team captain, and that is an aggravating factor.
"I have already apologised, but I know that actions must have consequences. Anyone involved in football as I am knows that, regardless of one’s status, the rules are the same for everyone.
"In this regard, I have heard a great deal of talk about farewell matches, that I must be given a fitting send-off and that the Federation wants to give me that opportunity. I have learnt in life, often going hungry and with nothing to eat, that nobody gives anything to anyone."
'I’ll be available to compete'
"I can promise all my fans, of course, and especially all the Portuguese people, that we’ll play one or more farewell matches; there’ll be time for that. But when I think of the national team, what I really think about is competing.
"That’s what I was thinking on the day I received the news of my father’s death. I was on training camp with our national team and I decided to stay there until the end of the following day’s match. I did that for my country – something I would never do for any club," Ronaldo went on to say, concluding his lengthy statement with the assurance that he is available to return to the national team as early as November, should that be the decision of the FPF board and the national manager Jesus.
"So, if I am physically fit, playing for my club – and hopefully scoring goals – following the completion of any suspension imposed on me, I will be available, as I have always been until now, to compete and win for our national team. This is, believe me, the absolute truth."