Cristiano Ronaldo, captain of Portugal’s national football team and a sports superstar, has explained why he left the team. In a post on his Instagram account, he said the main reason was a conflict with Head Coach Jorge Jesus, who allegedly gave him his word but failed to keep it.
The conflict began after the UEFA Nations League match against Norway, when Ronaldo spent the entire game on the bench.
According to the footballer, he had agreed with the coach in advance on which matches he would play. The plan was for the footballer to sit out the match against Norway entirely.
However, before the game, Jesus asked Ronaldo to play for about 30 minutes. The footballer agreed but ultimately remained on the bench. This was the first time in 18 years that Ronaldo had been left out of an official national team match.
«The rest everyone knows. I warmed up from halftime, watched the minutes go by, and was never called on. The Head Coach had failed to keep his word,» Ronaldo said in the post.
After Portugal’s victory over Denmark, Jesus said he hoped fans would support him in light of the incident.
What happened next
Forty-eight hours later, the footballer met with Jesus. Al-Nassr sporting director Simão Coutinho was also present at the meeting.
According to Ronaldo, the parties drafted eight points that the coach was supposed to present to the press. He was expected to say that Portugal’s captain had never asked for playing time and had accepted the coach’s plan.
However, according to the player, the subsequent press conference unfolded differently, and he left the national team camp.
Following his departure, the Portuguese national team’s Instagram page reportedly lost a million followers.
Ronaldo ready to return
The football star apologized to the fans for not approaching them after the match and to his teammates for leaving the squad.
He acknowledged that, as captain, he bears greater responsibility and is prepared to accept any potential punishment from the federation.
At the same time, Ronaldo emphasized that this does not mark a definitive farewell to the national team. Provided he remains healthy and continues to score, he intends to play for Portugal again after serving any potential penalty.
