On the night Lionel Messi played his final game for Argentina, Cristiano Ronaldo deferred his Portugal retirement after his recent walkout from the national side following a disagreement with coach Jorge Jesus.
The 41-year-old Ronaldo left Portugal’s Nations League camp last week after being an unused substitute against Norway. He would also find out that he would not start against Denmark. Ronaldo had vowed in a social media post that he would reveal the full picture later, a time which arrived on Instagram on Tuesday night with six slides and an elaborate clarification running nearly 2,000 words.
The Portuguese captain stated that he was seeking a “punishment” for leaving the national side abruptly, while stating that coach Jesus “had broken his word twice.”
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Ronaldo accused Jesus of an “absolute breach of trust,” first for benching him against Norway despite promising he would play, and then for reneging on an agreement to share a unified story with the media.
“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 have already apologised, but I know that actions have consequences.”
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On Sunday, Jesus claimed that there was no rift between him and Ronaldo, whom he had coached in his previous managerial stint at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. Jesus also affirmed that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is open to return to the team.
Ronaldo said that he was open to continue representing the national side, given that he remained “physically fit, playing with my team, and hopefully scoring goal.”
“After my suspension period ends, I will be available, as I always have been, to compete and win with our national team,” he added.
Part relenting, part critical
While Ronaldo observed a relenting tone in parts, he remained critical of Jesus’ actions. Ronaldo revealed that under an agreement to manage his playing time, Jesus had said that he would be rested for the matches against Norway and Denmark. However, Ronaldo was told that he would be used for 30 minutes during the Norway game.
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“Everyone knows the rest. I warmed up from half-time onwards, watched the minutes tick by and wasn’t called on,” Ronaldo said.
“The manager had broken his word to me.”
Ronaldo further claimed that in a later discussion with Jesus, it was agreed that the coach would reveal clarify the issues in a press conference. An eight-point was agreed upon, including statements that Ronaldo had never demanded playing time and respected Jesus’ decisions. The coach also made a mistake for asking “someone of the stature of Pele or Maradona” to warm up without bringing him on.
Ronaldo said the points never reflecting in Jesus’ press conference, making it “the second time” that the coach “had broken his word to me.”
Previously, Ronaldo had endorsed his former Al-Nassr manager as the “right choice” to take over the Portugal reins. Ronaldo also revealed he came close to retiring from international duty following Portugal’s round-of-16 exit at this summer’s World Cup. He had already drafted a farewell letter to the supporters, but Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proença persuaded him to reconsider during the flight home from the United States.
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Ronaldo remained apologetic, but reiterated his stance on his sudden exit from the camp.
“I owe an apology to my national team teammates for having left the camp… I apologise to the Portuguese people once again, but a broken word has, for me, a defining impact,” he wrote.
