Ronaldo says Jesus broke his word, apologizes to Portugal teammates

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  Sam MarsdenOct 6, 2026, 04:14 PM ET

Cristiano Ronaldo said he will remain available to represent Portugal should they call him up again in a five-page letter seen by ESPN, while explaining his fallout with coach Jorge Jesus last week.

The statement was later shared on Ronaldo's social media channels.

Ronaldo, 41, walked out on the Portugal camp after he was an unused substitute in the side's 2-1 UEFA Nations League win away at Norway on Sept. 27, saying Jesus broke his word to him.

However, despite the friction with Jesus, the Al Nassr striker said he has not brought the curtain down on his international career just yet.

"If I am physically fit, playing for my club, scoring goals, I hope, that after serving whatever suspension is imposed on me, I will be available, as I have always been until today, to compete and win for our national team," Ronaldo said.

Ronaldo, who has scored a record 146 goals in 234 appearances for his country, also gave a detailed explanation of his fallout with Jesus, who coached the former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward in Saudi Arabia between 2025 and 2026.

He said it was not the fact that he did not play against Norway, but that Jesus "broke his word" once by not bringing him on and then a second time with his "aggressiveness" on the subject when he spoke to the press after the game.

"To my absolute surprise, the coach asked me whether I was ready to play 30 minutes [against Norway]," Ronaldo said, after detailing a previous meeting where it had been agreed he would not play.

"I was completely focused on my physical recovery, integrated with my teammates as always, and thinking that I would not play that day. I had no problem with that.

"This request was outside my physical recovery and training plan -- because I was only supposed to play on Oct. 4 at the Dragão -- but obviously I said yes. He told me to be prepared because I would play 30 minutes.

"Everyone knows what happened next. I warmed up from halftime, watched the minutes go by, and was not called upon.

"The coach had broken his word to me."

Ronaldo said a plan was then put in place to allow Jesus to draw a line under the issue by making a series of pre-agreed comments in a news conference on Sept. 29 ahead of the next game against Denmark two days later.

"The new conference was what everyone knows: his attitude had nothing to do with our meeting," Ronaldo continued. "I heard expressions and an aggressiveness that I believe I did not deserve, an attitude of 'I want, I can, and I command' that he had not shown me, not even remotely, in private the day before.

"It was the second time he had broken his word to me."

Among the things Ronaldo expected Jesus to say, he detailed, was that he made "a mistake by having someone of the stature of Pelé or [Diego] Maradona warm up and then not putting him into the game -- If I had to do it today, I would not."

Despite that, Ronaldo -- who said he was convinced to play on for Portugal after this summer's World Cup exit by Pedro Proença, the president of the Portuguese Football Federation [FPF] -- acknowledged he has also let people down over the last week.

"I owe my national team teammates an apology for leaving the training camp," Ronaldo said. "Despite the absolute breach of trust in the coach's word, as anyone who witnessed our conversations can testify, I should not have done it. The responsibility is exclusively mine.

"I apologise to the Portuguese people, too, but a broken promise has, for me, a defining impact. I felt that from that moment on, my continued presence would only harm the group, and I did what I have always said I would do if I did not feel useful: I packed my bags and left.

"The consequence of my actions should be assessed and punished by the [FPF]. The punishment should not have any mitigating circumstances. I am not just any player; I am the captain of the team, and that constitutes an aggravating factor."

Ronaldo finished by suggesting he hopes to play many more games for his country, knocking back talk of a farewell match for now.

"I have heard a lot about farewell matches, that I deserve a dignified farewell and that the [FPF] wants to give me that opportunity," he said. "I can promise all my fans, and especially all Portuguese people, 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 I was told of my father's death. I was at a national team training camp and decided to stay until the following day's match was over. I did for my country what I would never have done for any club."

Portugal won all four of their Nations League games in the international break. They have two more matches to come -- against Denmark and Wales in November -- which is the next time Ronaldo could feasibly be called up by his country.

After Sunday's win over Norway -- its second of the international window -- Portugal's federation president said the situation with Ronaldo was a misunderstanding and Jesus said the door was open for him to return to the national team.

After the Nations League, Portugal will turn their attention to the next major tournament, the European Championships, which will be held in the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2028.