Follow usCristiano Ronaldo claims he is not retiring from international football but deserves to be punished for walking out on the national team after manager Jorge Jesus twice “broke his word”.
The Portuguese superstar left Portugal’s Nations League camp a few days ago after being an unused substitute vs. Norway and then finding out he will be on the bench again vs. Denmark.
Cristiano has scored 146 goals in 234 matches for the national team – both world records – helping Portugal triumph at Euro 2016 and the Nations League 2 times.
The Al-Nassr striker shared on social media that he must be held accountable for what he did.
But Ronaldo accused the national team head coach of lying to him: the manager told him he would play vs. Norway, which didn’t happen, and then he didn’t share that with the media, instead telling a completely different story.
Ronaldo added that he has already apologized to the Portuguese Football Federation, but will not seek to avoid punishment, as he knows that what he did has consequences.
Meanwhile, Jesus revealed on Sunday that the door was still open for Cristiano to play for Portugal.
Cristiano Ronaldo says he is not retiring from international football but accepts he deserves to be punished for walking out on Portugal for a "breach of the coach’s trust" 🇵🇹
The 41-year-old captain left the national team camp after being an unused substitute against Norway and then learning he would not start against Denmark.
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) October 6, 2026
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