A written account of approximately 2,000 words, published by Cristiano Ronaldo, set out the circumstances behind his departure from Portugal's international squad before two UEFA Nations League fixtures in the September–October window had been played. Speculation about a falling-out between Ronaldo and Portugal manager Jorge Jesus had been circulating in the wake of his unannounced exit.

Ronaldo's published account noted that, after the 2026 World Cup concluded, he had drafted a letter to the Portuguese public — a document he said he still holds — containing the words he intends to deliver when he formally steps away from the national team. Once the competition concluded and the journey home from the United States was under way, the Portuguese Football Federation president put forward a personal appeal for a change of mind on the departure decision, conveying that the FPF's preference was for the arrangement to carry on. Shortly after that, Ronaldo's opinion was sought on the name of the person now serving as head coach, a candidate the president was weighing alongside others whose identities were not shared at that point.

Ronaldo conveyed to the Federation's president a personal view that the option under consideration represented a sound course of action. He noted that, some days after the appointment was announced, Jorge Jesus reached out to arrange an in-person meeting — a development that had already drawn a positive reaction from Ronaldo when the coaching choice was first made public. The appointment was set for the tail end of the holiday period after agreement was reached.

The encounter took place at the Cidade do Futebol, where a preseason training camp had been set up by the club. Ronaldo later recalled that the coach had expressed reliance on his presence, describing his role as central to the team's plans. At that meeting, a proposal outlining how Jesus envisioned Ronaldo's participation was laid before him.

Ronaldo recounted that the coach had outlined a rotation plan — starting and finishing each fixture, with three or four personnel adjustments built in per game for load-management purposes — before raising the possibility of leaving Ronaldo out of the squad travelling to Norway and Denmark. The suggestion put to Ronaldo was to take part in the opening fixture, remain in Portugal through that period, and then link back up with the squad ahead of the Dragão fixture. Ronaldo rejected the proposal without delay, stating that acceptance was not a workable option.

Ronaldo stated that declining to feature in matches played on foreign soil would not, in itself, bring an end to his captaincy role, but that remaining in Portugal under such an arrangement would set a questionable precedent. Simão Coutinho, the Al Nassr sporting director who had overseen Jesus's work throughout the previous season and was among those who had facilitated the coach's arrival at the club in 2025, took part in that meeting.

The day before the training camp opened, Jesus travelled to Ronaldo's Lisbon home at his own request to hold another discussion. Ronaldo stated that discussions remained measured throughout, with every point agreed upon in August held firmly in place. Featuring in the fixture at Alvalade, Ronaldo was brought off before the final whistle — a decision that drew no visible objection from him.

Recounting the moment he placed the captain's armband on Bruno Fernandes, Ronaldo noted that no thought crossed his mind then that those steps on the pitch might prove to be his last as both a player and a captain for the national side. Separately, he described how, at midday on the day of the Norway fixture, a member of the coaching staff approached the table where the squad was eating to relay that the head coach wished to speak with him, even though he had been told he would feature in the match.

Ronaldo noted that Jesus's question — asking whether 30 minutes of play was within reach — came as a genuine surprise. He later said that physical rehabilitation had been the sole priority at the time, that integration with the squad had continued as usual, and that taking part in the match that day had not entered the picture. Though the fixture at the Dragão on 4 October had already been built into the recovery and training timetable, Ronaldo raised no objection when asked to take part. The coach responded by telling him to get ready, as he would be on the pitch for 30 minutes.

Having warmed up through the second half, Ronaldo stood on the touchline during the final minutes without being called into action. He later told reporters that what the coach had indicated beforehand had not come to pass, adding that once the whistle went, the only thing that mattered to him was the result and being left alone. "That choice to stay away from the fans rested entirely with me, and the lapse in behaviour it reflects is something no other person should be held accountable for," he said.

Two days on, a discussion took place between Ronaldo, Jesus, and Simão Coutinho — the latter included given his presence during the August exchanges. Ronaldo also extended apologies to Portuguese supporters who had travelled to show their backing, to the wider fanbase, and to any non-Portuguese attendees who had made the journey in the hope of watching him perform. The exchange, Ronaldo stated, unfolded without pretence, with nothing held back.

The arrangement reached was straightforward: at the start of the press conference, Jesus would raise the matter himself and address it openly, with Simão Coutinho present, bringing the dispute to a close by stating what he had already communicated privately. Ronaldo maintained that playing time was never something he sought out, that the training-camp arrangement had come to him directly from the head coach, and that being taken through the warm-up only to sit unused was a mistake — one he made clear would not happen again on his watch.

Ronaldo recounted that the meeting concluded with Jesus requesting an embrace, giving assurances that whatever had been said privately would be repeated at the press conference and that the matter would be considered resolved — with the understanding that Ronaldo would not travel to Denmark but would feature in the match at the Dragão. A plan for Ronaldo's national team season was put forward, with Ronaldo stating that the proposal originated solely with him. The exchange ran at length and left both parties with a favourable impression, according to his account.

Ronaldo expressed awareness, in his statement, of how deeply he is devoted to the national side, along with the broad standing he carries globally and the constructive role he has maintained within that setup across 24 unbroken years. He stated that he gave the green light to the plan that had been put forward. Those who worked alongside him, he noted, observed that his conduct throughout remained consistent with the standards expected — that he deferred to decisions made above him and carried out his duties without friction.

Ronaldo stated that the fixture in Norway fell outside the programme drawn up for him, and that Jesus had noted the player appeared to have recovered physically from the opening match and had put him on notice as a potential substitute. Ronaldo said he gave his assent to the proposal. He later reflected that fielding a player of that calibre — whether someone on the level of Pelé or Maradona — only during warm-ups, without ever bringing him onto the pitch, was a decision that he said should not have been made. He stated that, given the chance to make the same call, he would take a different path, while also making clear his position: Cristiano Ronaldo belongs in the national team.

Expressing a strong preference for the player, Ronaldo noted that the question of not acknowledging supporters after the match remained unaddressed. He stated that, having accumulated more than 230 caps at international level, no guidance was needed from anyone on what devotion to the national shirt looks like, and that nothing about what unfolded that day undoes what came before. "None of those written communications, as the coach acknowledged, placed any obligation on the head coach to offer an apology," he said.

Citing a pattern of unmet commitments — the second such instance — Ronaldo stated he chose to withdraw from the national team camp rather than wait on assurances that had not held before. He told the president of the FPF and the head coach, during a conversation held on the morning of that press conference, that they were free to exclude him if that was their preference, adding that honesty remained the foundation he valued most in any relationship. He stated that transparent disclosure from their side would have drawn a receptive response.

In a message to his squad, Ronaldo conveyed his apologies for leaving the camp, noting that across close to a quarter-century in the sport he had never attempted to shape the tactical or technical decisions of any manager, while those whose opinions he sought told him his position remained with the national team. He acknowledged that the action was one he said he should not have taken, even as others who were present maintained that the head coach had not kept his word. Ronaldo stated that accountability for the outcome rests with that individual alone.

Renewing his apology to the Portuguese people, Ronaldo stated that a failure to honour one's commitments carries, in his view, a lasting and defining weight. He stated that, from that juncture, his continued presence would only prove detrimental to the working group, adding that the Portuguese Football Federation bore responsibility for evaluating and imposing an appropriate penalty for his actions. He stated that no mitigating circumstances should factor into the penalty, adding that his standing in the sport sets him apart from ordinary cases.

Ronaldo, speaking in his capacity as captain, noted that the role itself carries added weight, and that when his thoughts turn to the national side, they turn to the prospect of competing. He noted that news of his father's death reached him during this period, and that, stationed at the national team's training camp at the time, he chose to remain through the conclusion of the following day's fixture. His statement drew a distinction between representing a national team and playing for a club side, with Ronaldo indicating a willingness to take actions on behalf of the former that would not extend to the latter. He stated that, provided he remained fit and had served any suspension handed down, he would be available to represent and compete for the national side — a commitment he described as one he had held throughout his career.