Mansion Sports – Cristiano Ronaldo has finally spoken out about his dispute with Portugal manager Jorge Jesus.

The national team captain issued an official statement on Tuesday, outlining his version of events regarding the dispute with the manager.

The 41-year-old forward left Portugal’s training camp ahead of the match against Denmark, having previously also missed the game against Norway in the UEFA Nations League.

Portugal secured a place in the Nations League quarter-finals after winning all four of their matches, collecting 12 points to finish top of their group. Ronaldo only featured in the opening match against Wales, which ended in a 1-0 victory.

Here Is Ronaldo’s Statement, As Published by Portuguese Newspaper “A Bola”:

“As I promised, I have decided to explain, directly and from my perspective, the circumstances surrounding the latest stage of the national team’s journey.

After the 2026 World Cup, I prepared a message for the Portuguese people, which I still have, containing the words I wanted to share with them when I eventually left our team.

At the end of the tournament, on the flight home from the United States, the president of the federation asked and insisted that I reconsider my decision to leave because the Portuguese Football Federation wanted me to remain.

Shortly afterwards, he asked for my opinion regarding the current national team manager, whom he was considering, along with other names he did not disclose to me.

I told the federation president that, in my opinion, he was the ideal choice. Therefore, on the day the current national team manager was introduced, I was genuinely happy with the choice. It was the right decision, as demonstrated by the results.

A few days later, I received the first call from the new national team manager, who said that he wanted to meet me in person. I agreed, and we set a date for the meeting. ‘At the end of my holiday.’

We met at the football city where my team was conducting its pre-season training camp.

That day, the manager told me that he was counting on me and that my presence was very important to his project. He explained his plans regarding my involvement in the near future.

He said I would play in the first and last matches, and that he would make three or four substitutions in each match for reasons related to physical fitness.

At that point, he suggested that I should not travel with the national team to Norway and Denmark. He suggested that I play in the first match and remain in Portugal, then join them before the match at the Dragão Stadium.

I immediately rejected the suggestion. For me, it was clear that I could not accept it. Not playing in an away match did not mean that I would not be the captain of our team. Being given the privilege of remaining in Portugal was not a good example.

In the end, the manager agreed with my analysis.

This conversation was attended by Simo Coutinho, sporting director of Al-Nassr, the person to whom the current national team manager reported throughout the previous season, and one of the people responsible for his move to the club in 2025.

On the night before the training camp, the manager came to my house in Lisbon to have another conversation with me at his request.

The conversation was calm, and we remained committed to all the principles agreed upon in August. I played in the match at Alvalade Stadium, and although I was substituted, I did not cause any problems.

I personally put the captain’s armband on Bruno Fernandes, and it never crossed my mind that I might be taking the final steps of my career as a player and captain of the national team.

The most important thing for me that day was our victory. Winning is always a good thing, and in Portugal, as well as for my country, victory is the best thing.

At lunchtime on the day of the match in Norway, the national team assistant manager came to the table where the team was having lunch and told me that the manager wanted to speak with me.

To my great surprise, the manager asked whether I was ready to play for 30 minutes. I was completely focused on my physical recovery, interacting with my teammates as usual, and believing that I would not play that day. There was no problem at all.

This request was outside my physical recovery and training plan because I was only supposed to play on the 4th at the Dragão Stadium, but of course I agreed. He replied that I should get ready because I would play for 30 minutes.

The rest is already known. I began warming up from the second half, and I watched the minutes go by, but no one called me to come on. The manager broke his promise.

At the end of the match, I only wanted everything to end with a victory and wanted to be alone. I did not go over to greet the fans. It was entirely my responsibility, and something that should not have happened.

I apologize to the Portuguese people who enthusiastically supported us there, I apologize to the fans, and I apologize to those who came there to see me, even though they were not Portuguese, and whom I may have disappointed.

Forty-eight hours later, we had a conversation, myself, the manager, and Simo Coutinho, because he was present during our conversation.

It was a very deep and honest moment, with nothing being concealed.

We agreed that there was only one way to end this ‘case’: the manager would repeat what he had just told me privately, in front of Simo Coutinho, but in the press conference.

The agreement was simple: the manager would begin the press conference by addressing this issue, with the aim of putting the matter to rest by telling the truth.

He would say that I had never asked to play even for a few minutes, that only the manager, and nobody else, had proposed the plan for this training camp, and that it was a mistake to allow me to warm up without playing, and that if it happened again, he would not do it.

We ended the meeting with the manager asking me for a hug, and he promised me that he would say at the press conference what he had just told me, and that the matter had been resolved.

I would not play in Denmark, but I would play in the match at the Dragão. All of this took place in front of Simo Coutinho, as usual.

At the manager’s request, a video meeting was held between him, Simo Coutinho, and Tiago Craveiro to summarize what we had discussed.

A brief document was prepared, which I personally approved, and it was handed to the manager at his request.

The meeting unfolded as expected: his behavior had absolutely nothing to do with our meeting. I heard expressions and aggressive attitudes that I considered unjustified, as well as an attitude suggesting that he ‘wanted, could, and commanded,’ something he had never shown toward me, not even indirectly, during the private meeting the previous day.

The notes I reviewed were as follows: I believe it is important, because this is the truth, to clarify a few things before discussing Denmark:

1. I personally proposed a plan for Cristiano, without involving anyone else, for this sporting season with the national team. It was a long and very productive conversation.
2. I know how much he loves the national team and his status in the world, and, above all, how positive his influence has been on the national team for 24 consecutive years.
3. The plan I proposed to Cristiano was approved.
4. He never questioned my decisions. He is an example to follow, loyal, and professional.
5. The match against Norway was not part of the plan I had established for him. However, I felt that he had physically recovered from the first match, and I warned him that I might be forced to play him. Cristiano agreed.
6. I made a mistake by involving a player of the level of Pelé or Maradona only in the warm-up without bringing him into the match. If that happened today, I would not do it.
7. In short: I want Cristiano in the national team. In fact, I do not just want him a little; I want him very much. And fortunately, he trusts me as well. He trusted me at Al-Nassr and here too.
8. Regarding not greeting the fans, we had discussed this issue before. A player who has played more than 230 matches for the national team does not need to receive a lesson from me about how to love Portugal. It was a moment of frustration that erases nothing. He is the player who has signed the most autographs, taken the most selfies, and shown the most affection toward the fans. Do not create a problem out of something that is not actually a problem. When we are unhappy, we react. That is all. Therefore, none of those notes mention that the manager apologized to me.

This was the second time he had broken his promise.

I decided to leave the training camp without waiting for another promise that would not be kept. For me, the truth remains the most important thing in human relationships. No matter how painful it may be, I want the truth to be told to me.

In fact, during the conversation I had with the president of the Portuguese Football Federation and the manager on the morning before that press conference, this can be verified, I assured them that if they did not want me there, they should tell me.

They only needed to be straightforward with me. I would accept it and promise them that we would prepare something extraordinary, as I hoped would happen, and nobody would be angry.

I remember it as if it happened yesterday. They responded simultaneously by saying no. That my place was in the national team.

I have never interfered, at any point, in any technical or tactical decision made by the manager or national team officials throughout my nearly 25-year career. I accept whatever they propose, whether it is a good or bad decision. I respect those decisions, and when they break a promise to me, I feel that my place is not here.

I also apologize to my teammates in the national team for leaving the training camp. Although I completely broke the manager’s trust, as everyone who witnessed the conversation can see, I should not have done it. The responsibility is entirely mine.

I once again apologize to the Portuguese people, but the broken promise had a very profound impact on me.

I felt that continuing with the team from that moment onward would only harm the team, so I did what I have always said I would do if I felt that I was no longer useful: I packed my things and left.

The Portuguese Football Federation must assess the consequences of my actions and punish me for them. I believe that punishment should not be reduced. I am not just an ordinary player; I am the captain of the team, and that is an aggravating factor.

I have apologized, but I know that actions have consequences. Anyone in football, like me, knows that the rules apply equally to everyone, regardless of their status.

In this regard, I have heard a lot of talk about a farewell match, that I need a proper farewell match for myself, and that the federation wants to give me that opportunity.

I learned in life, when I was hungry and had nothing to eat, that nobody gives something to someone else for free. I can promise all my fans, and especially the Portuguese people, that we will play one or more farewell matches; there will still be time for that.

But when I think about the national team, what I truly think about is competition. That is what I thought about on the day I received news of my father’s death. I was at a training camp with our national team, and I decided to remain there until the following day’s match had ended. I did something for my country that I would never have done for any club.

So, if I am physically fit, playing with my team, and hoping to score goals, after my suspension ends, I will be available, as I always have been, to compete and win with our national team.

This, believe me, is the absolute truth.

Cristiano Ronaldo,
6 October 2026”