Cristiano Ronaldo (41) has issued an apology for his unauthorized departure from the Portuguese national team and expressed willingness to face disciplinary action. However, he firmly ruled out the possibility of international retirement.
On Wednesday, Ronaldo took to his social media to address his departure during the team’s September and October call-ups, offering an explanation for his actions.
It apologizes to its teammates for leaving the national team, Ronaldo stated. The responsibility for his departure rests entirely on his shoulders. His actions should be evaluated and penalized by the Portuguese Football Federation. As team captain, he acknowledges that he should face more severe consequences.
Despite this, Ronaldo emphasized that his relationship with the national team remains intact.
He affirmed that once he’s served any penalties, he’ll be ready to compete and strive for victory with the national team, as he has always done.
Ronaldo, who had been called up for Portugal’s four Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Nations League matches in September and October, left the national team’s training camp in Copenhagen, Denmark, on September 30.
The controversy stemmed from issues surrounding playing time.
On September 28, Ronaldo was benched for the Nations League match against Norway and didn’t see any action. Coach Jorge Jesus opted not to bring Ronaldo into the game based on the match situation. He later indicated that Ronaldo wouldn’t start in the upcoming Denmark fixture.
Upon leaving the national team, Ronaldo had promised to clarify his position later. In this statement, he alleged that the coach broke his promise to him on two occasions.
According to Ronaldo, he and Coach Jesus had initially agreed that he would rest during the Norway and Denmark matches to manage his fitness. However, Ronaldo claims that on the day of the Norway game, Jesus informed him he would play for about 30 minutes.
He warmed up from the start of the second half and watched time tick away, but he never got on the pitch, Ronaldo explained. The coach broke his promise to Ronaldo.
Following this, Ronaldo met with Coach Jesus again and agreed to explain the Norway match situation at the next press conference. However, he alleges that Jesus deviated from their prior discussion.
Ronaldo elaborated that after the coach broke his promise twice, he decided not to wait any longer and left the national team training camp.
Coach Jesus, however, presents a different perspective. On Monday, he denied making any agreements with Ronaldo regarding playing time following the Norway match.
Nevertheless, Jesus hasn’t ruled out the possibility of Ronaldo returning to the national team.