Ronaldo: Not Retiring, Blames Coach Jorge Jesus for Portugal Walkout
Cristiano Ronaldo is not retiring from international football, according to a statement issued through Portuguese media Tuesday. The 41-year-old said he will remain available for Portugal despite walking out on the squad during the current international window.
Ronaldo blamed recently hired coach Jorge Jesus for not being true to his word about when he would play the striker in the latest Nations League matches. The forward said he owed his teammates an apology and expects to receive a punishment, per www.foxsports.com.
The exact nature of that punishment is not specified in the source. Ronaldo said he would be available "after serving whatever suspension is imposed on me," without detailing what that suspension might be.
The statement marks a clear break from the idea that the walkout signaled the end of his international career. He is not following Lionel Messi into retirement, according to www.foxsports.com, and insists there is more to come.
WHAT HAPPENED
The walkout came during Portugal’s current international window, per www.foxsports.com, after Ronaldo said the trust between him and coach Jorge Jesus collapsed.
Ronaldo said he had agreed to a plan for managing his playing time with the recently hired Jesus. But the coach did not follow through on that arrangement, according to www.foxsports.com. The specific details of that playing-time plan are not in the source.
Instead of honoring the agreement, Jesus spoke aggressively at a press conference, Ronaldo said. That public approach caused a breakdown of trust between player and coach, per www.foxsports.com.
Ronaldo addressed the incident in a long statement issued through Portuguese media on Tuesday, according to www.foxsports.com. In it, he said Jesus had not been true to his word about when the striker would play in the latest round of Nations League matches.
The 41-year-old also said he owed his teammates an apology for the walkout. The statement did not specify exactly what Jesus said at that press conference, nor the precise terms of the playing-time plan.
What is clear is that Ronaldo felt the coach’s public words broke an agreement the two had made. The fallout sent him out of the squad, but not out of international football entirely.
THE NUMBERS AND CONTEXT
Ronaldo is 41 years old, per www.foxsports.com, and he is not following Lionel Messi into international retirement. The Portugal captain made that distinction explicit in his statement, even as the fallout from his walkout dominated the latest round of Nations League matches.
The incident unfolded during that Nations League window, with Ronaldo walking out on the squad after a breakdown in trust with recently hired coach Jorge Jesus. Jesus was brought in to lead Portugal, but the new partnership has already produced a public rupture over a playing-time plan that Ronaldo says the coach failed to honor.
No specific statistics, match scores, or dates are provided in the source. What is known is the timing: the walkout happened during the current international window, and Ronaldo's statement came through Portuguese media on Tuesday.
The comparison to Messi matters because the two superstars have defined an era. Messi's international retirement was announced and then reversed; Ronaldo is making clear from the outset that he is staying. The 41-year-old said he expects to receive a punishment for the walkout and will serve whatever suspension is imposed before returning.
That puts the focus squarely on Jesus, whose press conference comments reportedly triggered the trust breakdown. Ronaldo said he expected the coach to publicly clarify the situation and accept responsibility — a demand that now hangs over Portugal's Nations League campaign.
RONALDO'S REACTION
Ronaldo's statement, issued through Portuguese media on Tuesday, came with a promise to the fans who have followed him through five European Championships and five World Cups. "I can promise all my fans, and naturally especially all Portuguese people, that we will have one or more farewell matches. There will be time for that," he said.
The 41-year-old made clear he is not walking away from the national team, only from the current dispute. "Therefore, if I am physically fit, playing for my club, hopefully scoring goals, then after serving whatever suspension is imposed on me, I will be available, as I have always been until today, to compete and win for our national team," Ronaldo said.
His anger is aimed squarely at coach Jorge Jesus. Ronaldo said he had agreed to a plan for managing his playing time and expected the coach to publicly clarify the situation and accept responsibility.
Instead, according to Ronaldo, Jesus did not follow through and spoke aggressively at a press conference, causing a breakdown of trust. No direct quotes from Jesus are included in the source, leaving his version of events unconfirmed.
The apology to his teammates came in the same statement, acknowledging the disruption the walkout caused during the international window. Ronaldo now waits for the punishment he said he expects, with his return hinging on the suspension being served and his fitness at club level.
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
Ronaldo expects to receive a punishment for the walkout, according to www.foxsports.com. He said he will be available after serving whatever suspension is imposed, with his return hinging on being physically fit and playing for his club.
"I can promise all my fans, and naturally especially all Portuguese people, that we will have one or more farewell matches," Ronaldo said. "There will be time for that."
He added: "Therefore, if I am physically fit, playing for my club, hopefully scoring goals, then after serving whatever suspension is imposed on me, I will be available, as I have always been until today, to compete and win for our national team."
The length of the suspension or the date of any farewell match is not confirmed in the source. Ronaldo's promise of one or more farewell matches for Portugal in the future leaves the door open, but no timeline has been set.
His availability depends entirely on his club form and fitness, per www.foxsports.com. Until the suspension is served and he is playing regularly, any return to the national team remains conditional.
Advertisement
You may also like
The Silent Veteran
They laughed at the quiet new medic... until her file appeared on screen. 🎖️😳 When 22-year-old Specialist Maya arrived at the forward operating base,…
Buzelis: Last Year Was 'Extremely Hard' as Bulls Finally Find Structure
Matas Buzelis did not sugarcoat his second season. After Tuesday's practice at the Advocate Center, the 21-year-old called last year "extremely hard" and said…
The 1969 Zodiac cipher that hid a name — until codebreakers cracked it
In December 2020, a team of codebreakers — including David Oranchak, a software developer, and two others — decrypted the second Zodiac cipher. The…
The bloodstained watch that tied a doctor to his wife's murder scene
The watch had blood on it. It was found at the murder scene, inside the Bay Village home where Marilyn Sheppard died on July…
São Paulo Hosts South America's First WTA Coaches Workshop in Historic Debut
More than 60 tennis coaches gathered in São Paulo last month for a first in South American tennis: an official WTA Coaches Workshop, held…
Booed Larkin Returns as Red Wings Host Senators After Trade Demand
Dylan Larkin is back on the ice for the Detroit Red Wings — and the fans have not forgotten. Larkin made his season debut…