Ronaldo says he is not retiring from Portugal duty, apologises for leaving camp

Portuguese football great Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed he is not retiring from the national team and has publicly explained the events behind his decision to leave the squad's camp after the Nations League match against Norway.

The agreement on minutes

Ronaldo says he and head coach Jorge Jesus agreed before the camp that he would play in the first and fourth games. Before the Norway match, the coach gave him to understand that he would need to play about 30 minutes. The forward agreed, began warming up after half-time, but was never called on. In his view, the coach did not keep his word.

After the game Ronaldo wanted to be alone and did not greet the fans. He called this a failure on his part and apologised to Portuguese supporters and to others who may have come to see him.

The conversation and the press conference

Fortyeight hours later, Ronaldo, Al-Nassr sporting director Simao Coutinho and the coach held a frank discussion. They agreed that Jesus would tell the press conference that the player never asked for specific minutes and that sending him to warm up without bringing him on was a mistake. A short document was then drawn up, which Ronaldo approved.

Ronaldo believes the position taken at the press conference was far from what was agreed, and says he heard aggression he did not deserve. He also published the points of the document, in which the coach admitted the mistake and said he wants to see Ronaldo in the team. The player noted that an apology from the coach was not among them, and again said the coach had failed to keep his word.

Punishment and the future

Ronaldo accepted that the punishment should not be softened, as he is the team captain, which he described as an aggravating factor. If he feels physically well and plays for his club, he said he will be available after any suspension.

Portugal lead Group A4 with 12 points. They still have an away game in Wales and a home match against Denmark.