Cristiano Ronaldo says Portugal return remains possible after Nations League walkout

Cristiano Ronaldo has apologised for leaving Portugal’s Nations League camp but says he has no plans to retire from international football.

The 41-year-old forward walked out after being an unused substitute in Portugal’s 2-1 win over Norway on September 27. He later learned that he would not start the match against Denmark.

Ronaldo said his decision followed a breakdown in trust with head coach Jorge Jesus. He claimed Jesus had agreed to rest him for both matches as part of a plan to manage his fitness.

That understanding changed on the day of the Norway game, Ronaldo said, when Jesus told him he would play for 30 minutes.

“I warmed up from halftime onwards, watched the minutes tick by and wasn’t called on,” Ronaldo said in a statement shared with Reuters. “The manager had broken his word to me.”

Ronaldo said it was the second occasion on which Jesus had failed to honour an agreement, leading him to leave the training camp rather than risk another disagreement.

Jesus has denied that such an agreement was made, but said Ronaldo could still return to the Portugal squad.

Ronaldo stressed that his international career remains ongoing and that he will make himself available again after any suspension.

“If I am physically well, playing for my club, with goals I hope, after serving the suspension that may be applied to me, I will be available, as I have always been until today, to compete and win for our national team,” he said.

He also accepted that leaving camp was wrong, regardless of his frustration with the manager, and apologised to his team-mates and Portugal supporters.

“I owe my team-mates an apology for leaving the camp,” he said. “The responsibility lies with me alone.”

The Al Nassr forward called on the Portuguese Football Federation to judge his behaviour without giving him special consideration because he is the national team captain.

“The Portuguese Football Federation must assess the consequences of my actions and punish me for them. I believe the punishment should not be reduced,” Ronaldo said.

“I am not an ordinary player; I am the captain of the team, and that represents an aggravating factor.”

Federation regulations state that a player who leaves an international camp without justification can receive a suspension of between one and six months, together with a financial penalty.

Ronaldo has scored a world-record 146 goals in 234 appearances for Portugal. He rejected the idea that attention should now turn to arranging his international farewell, saying his priority was still to compete for the national team.

“When I think of the national team, what I really think of is competing,” he said.

“I can promise all my fans, naturally and especially all Portuguese people, that we will have one or more farewell matches; there will be time for that.”

His statement confirms that Ronaldo intends to remain available for Portugal once any punishment has been completed.