Cristiano Ronaldo has stated his intention to continue representing Portugal at international level, while also expressing the view that some form of consequence would be appropriate for his decision to withdraw from the national squad and leave his fellow players.

In an extensive written statement, Ronaldo directed criticism at national team head coach Jorge Jesus, alleging that Jesus had repeatedly gone back on commitments made to him. Ronaldo also set out a series of points that, according to his account, the coach had previously agreed to read aloud at a press conference.

Ronaldo withdrew from the Portugal squad after being told he would not feature in the fixture against Denmark, having also gone unused in the match against Norway. One broadcaster reported that Ronaldo has no desire to play for the national side under Jesus's management, even as Jesus has consistently left the possibility of a recall on the table.

Across 234 appearances for Portugal, Ronaldo has scored 146 goals, a tally that places him atop two all-time international scoring records simultaneously. That run also included the squad's victory at Euro 2016 and two Nations League titles, all achieved during his time as a player at Al-Nassr.

In his written account, Ronaldo — a five-time Ballon d'Or winner — stated that during the flight home from the 2026 World Cup, the federation's president urged him to reconsider stepping away from the national squad and also sought his views on who should serve as the team's next coach. Ronaldo wrote that he told the president that the individual in question would be the right fit for the role.

According to Ronaldo, the incoming coach subsequently reached out to arrange a face-to-face meeting, which took place at the Cidade do Futebol while the squad was in pre-season preparation. At that meeting, the coach outlined a framework built around Ronaldo's involvement, describing him as indispensable to the squad's plans and proposing a structure in which Ronaldo would feature in the opening and closing fixtures, with three or four squad rotations applied across each match.

Ronaldo pushed back on a plan that would have kept him in Portugal while the squad travelled to Norway and Denmark. The coach dropped the proposal after Ronaldo made clear he wanted to travel with the group. Ronaldo also noted that Simo Coutinho, the sporting director at Al-Nassr, had taken part in those conversations.

Ronaldo recounted that word reached him over a lunchtime meal — relayed by a member of the coaching staff — that the manager had requested a meeting with him ahead of the Norway fixture. The subject of a 30-minute appearance on the pitch came up during that conversation between the coach and Ronaldo, a duration that fell outside the physical recovery schedule the player had agreed to. Despite his reservations, Ronaldo indicated that he was prepared to accept the arrangement.

Ronaldo warmed up during the interval but remained unused throughout the second half. He subsequently addressed the situation in a post, writing that the coach had not kept his word. He also took full personal responsibility for not going over to Portuguese supporters who had travelled to Norway once the final whistle had blown, describing it as an error on his part.

Ronaldo described a follow-up meeting that brought together both the coach and Simo Coutinho, characterising the conversation as open and unguarded. According to Ronaldo's account, the coach indicated he was prepared to speak openly at the forthcoming press conference, where he intended to clarify that Ronaldo had not requested playing time, that the training camp arrangements had been entirely his own decision, and that putting Ronaldo through a warm-up without bringing him onto the pitch had been an error in judgement. Ronaldo stated that he reviewed and signed off on a written summary of those points, which was then passed to the coach at the coach's own request.

Ronaldo maintained that the press conference diverged from what had previously been arranged between the parties. In his written statement, Ronaldo indicated that the other party had used language and displayed behaviour he viewed as unwarranted, and that the press conference had omitted every point the two sides had previously agreed upon, including any form of apology — an outcome he characterised as a repeated failure to honour a commitment. Ronaldo stated that he made the decision to leave the training camp at that point.

In his written account, Ronaldo noted that on the morning of the press conference he had approached both the federation president and the coach in person, telling them plainly that if his involvement was unwanted, they were free to say so. According to Ronaldo, both parties indicated that his place in the national squad had not changed.

Ronaldo expressed regret to his Portugal teammates over his departure and placed responsibility for that departure on himself, while also maintaining that the coach had broken his trust. On the question of discipline, Ronaldo wrote that the Portuguese Football Federation should evaluate his conduct and impose whatever consequences were warranted, adding that his standing within the sport should carry no weight in determining the severity of any penalty. In his view, holding the national team captaincy made the matter more serious rather than less, and did not represent a circumstance that could reduce culpability.

On the matter of farewell fixtures, Ronaldo stated that such occasions would come in due course, while noting that competitive play remains his priority whenever the national team enters his thinking. He recounted that word of his father's passing had reached him while he was on international duty, and that he had remained with the squad for the following day's match — a decision, he noted, that no club commitment would ever have drawn from him.

Ronaldo concluded his statement by saying that, once any ban had run its course, he would put himself forward for national team selection on the condition that he remained fit to play, and expressed his intention to continue contributing and pursuing victories alongside his teammates. He maintained in his written account that what he had set down represented the truth.