Cristiano Ronaldo and Jorge Jesus (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun, Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
Cristiano Ronaldo has released a lengthy statement outlining precisely what he claims went on as he recently left the Portuguese national team camp.
The 41-year-old was an unused substitute in a recent game, prompting him to storm down the tunnel and leave the Portugal squad, and he’s now hit out at national team manager Jorge Jesus.
Ronaldo also says he accepts, however, that he should not have reacted the way he did, and that he deserves a punishment just as any player would in this situation.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2000-word statement in full
See below for every word of Ronaldo’s statement, which he posted to his official Instagram page:
“This is the truth on what has happened with Jorge Jesus. As I promised, I decided to recount, in the first person and directly, the circumstances surrounding the last training camp of the National Team. After the 2026 World Cup I prepared a letter to the Portuguese people, which I still keep, with the words I want to address to them when I leave our team for good.
“At the end of the competition, already on the flight back from the United States, the President of the Federation asked and insisted that I reconsider the decision to leave, because the FPF (Portuguese Football Federation) wanted me to continue. Right afterwards he asked me for my opinion on the name of the current head coach, which he was considering alongside other names he did not reveal to me. I told the President of the Federation that, in my opinion, it would be the right choice.
“That is why, on the day the current head coach was presented, I was genuinely happy with the choice. It was the right option, as the results are confirming. A few days later I received a first contact from the new national team coach saying he would like to meet me in person. I said yes and we scheduled it for the end of my holidays. We met at the Cidade do Futebol, where my club was…
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