Cristiano Ronaldo Confirms Portugal Return

Cristiano Ronaldo Confirms He Will Not Retire From Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed that he will not retire from international football, despite the serious fallout with Portugal coach Jorge Jesus that saw him leave the national team camp.

In a lengthy statement on Tuesday, Ronaldo explained his version of what happened and accused Jesus of breaking his word on two separate occasions.

According to Ronaldo, there had initially been an agreement for him to miss Portugal's matches against Norway and Denmark as part of a plan to manage his fitness. However, he says Jesus later told him he would play 30 minutes against Norway.

Ronaldo warmed up during the match but was never brought on as Portugal defeated Norway 2-1.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner said he felt the coach had broken his word. He later held a meeting with Jesus and Al Nassr sporting director Simão Coutinho, where Ronaldo says they agreed that Jesus would publicly clarify what had happened.

Ronaldo claims that agreement was also not honoured, leading him to leave the Portugal camp.

However, Ronaldo admitted that leaving the camp without permission was a mistake. He apologised to the Portuguese people, supporters and his teammates and accepted that the Portuguese Football Federation could punish him for his actions.

He also strongly rejected any suggestion that he had tried to control Portugal's team selection.

Ronaldo said that throughout his international career, he had never interfered with a coach's tactical or selection decisions and had always accepted whatever decision was made.

Most importantly, he made his position on his international future clear.

Ronaldo said that if he is physically fit, playing and scoring for Al Nassr after serving whatever suspension is imposed, he will make himself available for Portugal again.

That means the dramatic departure from the camp was not a retirement announcement.

Jesus has also previously left the door open for Ronaldo's return, saying the forward could come back whenever he wants. Portugal Football Federation president Pedro Proença has similarly described the situation as a misunderstanding that should be resolved internally.

The relationship between Ronaldo and Jesus is now the major question.

Ronaldo says the coach broke agreements that damaged his trust. Jesus, however, has denied making the agreements Ronaldo described.

For now, Ronaldo's message is clear: he still wants to play for Portugal.

The next chapter of the Ronaldo-Jesus relationship could determine whether that return happens smoothly.