Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Cristiano Ronaldo has broken his silence on his latest fallout with the Portugal national team, offering a detailed explanation of the events that led to his departure from the training camp and the breakdown in his relationship with the coach.
In a lengthy first-person statement, Ronaldo said the dispute centred on a plan agreed with the coach over his involvement with Portugal, which he claimed was later changed. He said the situation ultimately became a question of trust after what he described as repeated broken promises.
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Ronaldo also accepted responsibility for some of his actions, apologising for leaving the camp and for failing to acknowledge supporters after Portugal’s match in Norway. At the same time, he insisted that he had never attempted to interfere with the coach’s technical decisions and maintained that he had always accepted decisions made by national team managers.
HOW THE DISPUTE BEGAN
According to Ronaldo, the roots of the disagreement go back to the period after the 2026 World Cup.
He said the Portuguese Football Federation president asked him to reconsider his decision to leave the national team and told him the federation wanted him to continue. Ronaldo was subsequently asked for his opinion on the appointment of the current coach.
Ronaldo said he supported the eventual appointment and was pleased when the coach was unveiled.
The two later met in person, where Ronaldo said they discussed his role in the national team and agreed on a plan to manage his playing time. The arrangement, according to Ronaldo, was based largely on fitness considerations.
A subsequent proposal for Ronaldo to remain in Portugal rather than travel with the squad to Norway and Denmark, however, was immediately rejected by the captain.
Ronaldo said he felt staying behind would send the wrong message while he remained captain of the team.
THE NORWAY INCIDENT
The situation escalated during the trip to Norway.
Ronaldo said he initially believed he would not play because the match was outside the recovery plan that had been agreed with the coach. He was then approached before the game and asked whether he could play 30 minutes.
He agreed despite the change to his original plan.
Ronaldo warmed up during the second half but was ultimately not brought onto the pitch.
That, he said, became a major turning point.
The Portugal captain claimed the coach had not kept his word and that the episode contributed to the loss of trust between the two.
Ronaldo also addressed his behaviour after the match, when he did not go over to acknowledge the supporters. He described that as a mistake and apologised to the Portuguese people, the fans and those who had travelled to watch him.
A PRIVATE AGREEMENT
Ronaldo said he subsequently held a meeting with the coach and Simao Coutinho, Al Nassr’s sporting director, who had also been involved in earlier discussions.
According to Ronaldo, the meeting was intended to resolve the dispute.
He said the coach agreed to explain publicly that Ronaldo had never demanded playing time, that the original plan had been proposed by the coach himself and that asking him to warm up without subsequently using him had been a mistake.
Ronaldo said the meeting ended with an understanding that the coach would address the matter during his next press conference.
But Ronaldo claims the public explanation did not match what had been agreed privately.
That, he said, further damaged his trust in the coach.
WHY RONALDO LEFT
Ronaldo ultimately decided to leave the training camp.
He said he could not continue in an environment where he felt promises had been broken and stressed that honesty was fundamental to his relationships.
The Portugal captain also said he had directly told the federation president and coach that if they no longer wanted him in the squad, they simply needed to tell him.
According to Ronaldo, they told him his place remained with the national team.
Despite that, he said the loss of trust made him believe his continued presence could be harmful to the group.
Ronaldo acknowledged that leaving the camp was wrong and apologised to his teammates. He made clear that he accepted responsibility for that decision.
WHAT HAPPENS NOW?
Ronaldo’s statement also addressed the consequences of the incident.
He said the Portuguese Football Federation should assess his actions and impose the appropriate punishment, arguing that his status as captain should not exempt him from the rules.
But the dispute, according to Ronaldo, has not changed his desire to represent Portugal.
He also addressed speculation about a farewell game, promising supporters that there would be an opportunity for him to say goodbye to the national team properly.
For now, however, Ronaldo said his focus remains on competition.
He insisted that, once he is physically fit, playing for his club and has served any suspension imposed on him, he will remain available for Portugal.
That leaves the relationship between Ronaldo and the national team coach as the central unresolved issue.
Ronaldo’s version of events makes clear that the disagreement was not simply about whether he played in one match. At its heart, he says, it was about trust, communication and whether commitments made privately were honoured publicly.
Here’s Cristiano Ronaldo’s full statement as reported by Spanish outlet Diaro AS:
“As promised, I have decided to give a direct, first-person account of the circumstances surrounding the final stage of my time with the national team.
After the 2026 World Cup, I prepared a letter to the Portuguese people, which I still have, containing the words I want to share with them when I leave our team for good.
After the tournament, on the flight home from the United States, the federation president asked me, and insisted, that I reconsider my decision to leave because the Portuguese Football Federation wanted me to stay.
Immediately afterward, he asked for my opinion on the current national team coach, whom he was considering alongside other candidates whose names he did not disclose.
I told the federation president that, in my opinion, it would be the right decision.
So, on the day the current coach was unveiled, I was truly pleased with the choice. It was the right decision, as the results have shown.
A few days later, I received my first call from the new national team coach, who told me he wanted to meet me in person. I agreed, and we arranged to meet at the end of my vacation.
We met at the Cidade do Futebol, where my club was holding its preseason training.
That day, the coach told me he was counting on me and that my presence was essential to his project. He outlined a plan for my involvement there and then. He told me I would play the first and last games and that, for fitness reasons, he would always make three or four substitutions per game.
At that point, he suggested that I not travel with the national team to Norway and Denmark. He proposed that I play the first game and stay in Portugal, then rejoin the team before the game at the Estadio do Dragao.
I rejected the offer immediately. It seemed obvious to me that I could not accept it. Not playing the games abroad did not mean I would stop being our team’s captain. Having the privilege of staying in Portugal would not set a good example.
In the end, the coach agreed with my assessment.
Simao Coutinho, Al Nassr’s sporting director, took part in this conversation. He was the person the current national team coach reported to throughout last season and one of those responsible for bringing him to the club in 2025.
On the eve of the training camp, the coach came to my home in Lisbon to speak with me, at his request. The conversation was calm, and all the principles agreed upon in August remained in place.
I played in the game at Alvalade and, despite being a substitute, caused no problems. I personally put the captain’s armband on Bruno Fernandes, without imagining that I might be taking my final steps as a player and captain of the national team. What mattered to me that day was our victory. Winning is always good, but winning in Portugal and for my country is even better.
On the day of the game in Norway, at lunchtime, one of the national team coach’s assistants approached the table where the group was eating and told me the coach wanted to speak with me. To my complete surprise, he asked whether I was fit enough to play 30 minutes. I was fully focused on my physical recovery, involved with my teammates as always, and thought I would not be playing that day. There was no problem.
This request fell outside my recovery and training plan, since I was only due to play on the fourth at the Dragao, but of course I said yes. He replied that I should be ready because I would play 30 minutes.
The rest is history. I warmed up from halftime, watched the minutes tick by and was never called on.
The coach had not given me his word.
At the end of the game, all I wanted was for it to end in a victory and to be alone. I did not go over to acknowledge the fans. That was a mistake for which I take full responsibility, and it should not have happened. I apologize to the Portuguese people who supported us so passionately, to the fans, and to those who, despite not being Portuguese, traveled there to see me and whom I may have disappointed.
Forty-eight hours later, the coach, Coutinho and I had a conversation, since Coutinho had been involved in our discussions in August.
It was an intense, very direct conversation, with nothing held back.
We agreed there was only one way to bring this ‘case’ to a close: for the coach to repeat in the press room what he had just told me privately, in Coutinho’s presence.
The agreement was simple: the coach would begin the press conference by addressing the issue, seeking to close the matter by telling the truth. He would say that I had never asked for playing time.
Not a single minute. It was the coach, and nobody else, who had proposed my plan for this training camp. It had been a mistake to have me warm up only to leave me out, and if the same situation arose again, he would not do it.
We ended the meeting with the coach asking me for a hug, promising that he would say at the press conference what he had just told me and that the matter was settled. I would not play in Denmark, but I would play in the game in Porto. All of this, as always, took place in Coutinho’s presence.
At the coach’s request, a video call was held between him, Coutinho and Tiago Craveiro, summarizing what we had discussed.
A short document was drawn up, which I personally approved and which, with my knowledge, was given to the coach, as he had requested.
The press conference went exactly as expected: his attitude bore no resemblance to our meeting. I heard remarks and aggression that I do not believe were justified, an attitude of ‘I want to, I can and I’m in charge’ that I had never heard in private the previous day.
The notes I approved were as follows:
‘I think it is important, particularly because it is the truth, to clear up a few things before discussing Denmark.’
- I personally proposed a plan to Cristiano for this season with the national team, without anyone else’s help. It was a long and very productive conversation.
- I know how deeply he feels about and loves the national team, and the stature he has around the world. More importantly, I know the stature and positive influence he has had within the national team for 24 consecutive years.
- The plan I proposed to Cristiano was accepted.
- He never questioned my decisions. He was exemplary, loyal and professional.
- The game against Norway was not part of the plan I had drawn up for him. However, I felt he had recovered physically from the first game and told him I might need to use him. Cristiano agreed.
- I made a mistake by having someone of Pele’s or Maradona’s stature warm up and then not bringing him into the game. If it happened today, I would not do it.
- To conclude: I want Cristiano in the national team. In fact, I do not just want him a little; I want him very much. Fortunately, he believes in me too. He believed in me at Al Nassr, and he does here as well.
- As for not acknowledging the fans, we have already discussed that. Someone who has played more than 230 games for the national team does not expect lessons from me about loving Portugal. It was a moment of frustration that does not erase anything. He is the player who signs the most autographs, takes the most selfies and shows the most affection toward the fans. Let’s not invent problems where there are none. When we are unhappy, we react. That is all.
None of those notes, therefore, said that the coach had apologized to me.
It was the second time my word had been broken.
I decided to leave the training camp rather than wait for more broken promises. For me, truth remains the most important thing in relationships between people. However much it hurts, I need to be told the truth.
Furthermore, in a conversation I had with the federation president and the national team coach on the morning of that press conference, something they can surely confirm, I reiterated that if they did not want me there, they simply had to tell me. They only needed to be honest with me. I would accept it, and I promised we would prepare something beautiful, as I dream will happen, and nobody would be upset.
I remember it as if it were yesterday. They answered in unison: ‘No.’ They said my place was with the national team.
Never, in my almost 25-year career, have I interfered in any technical or tactical decision made by any club or national team coach. For better or worse, I accept what they propose. I respect the decision, and when they do not keep their word, I feel I have no place there.
I also owe my teammates an apology for leaving the training camp. Despite the complete loss of trust in the coach that I expressed, as anyone who witnessed those conversations can attest, I should not have done it. The responsibility is mine alone.
I apologize once again to the Portuguese people, but the breaking of my word affected me deeply. I felt that, from that moment on, my presence would only harm the group, so I did what I had always said I would do if I no longer felt useful: I packed my things and left.
The Portuguese Football Federation must assess my actions and impose the appropriate punishment. I believe that punishment should not be reduced. I am not just any player; I am the team’s captain, and that is an aggravating factor. I have already apologized, but I know actions must have consequences. Anyone involved in soccer, as I am, knows that, regardless of an individual’s position, the rules are the same for everyone.
In that regard, I have heard a great deal about farewell games, about needing a fitting farewell and about the federation wanting to give me that opportunity.
I learned in life, often when I was hungry and had nothing to eat, that nobody gives anyone anything.
I can promise all my supporters, particularly the Portuguese people, that we will play one or more farewell games. There will be time for that.
But when I think about the national team, what really comes to mind is competition. That was what I thought on the day I learned of my father’s death. I was away with the national team and decided to stay until the following day’s game was over. I did something for my country that I would never do for any club.
So, if I am physically fit, playing for my club and, hopefully, scoring goals, after serving the suspension that will be imposed on me, I will be available, as I always have been, to compete and win with our national team.
This, believe me, is the absolute truth.
Ronaldo
(more to follow)
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
