Cristiano Ronaldo has accused Portugal coach Jorge Jesus of breaking his word twice as he explained why he left the national team camp last week, with a new statement on Wednesday.
The 41 year old gave his side of the story in a lengthy statement on social media. He also made it clear that he remains available to play for Portugal after serving any punishment.
Ronaldo said the dispute started over a plan for his playing time. According to him, Jesus had proposed that he would not play against Norway and Denmark as part of a plan to manage his fitness.
However, Ronaldo said Jesus changed that plan before the Norway game. The coach told him that he could play for around 30 minutes. Ronaldo agreed and began warming up at half time. But Jesus did not bring him on.
“Everyone knows the rest. I warmed up from halftime onwards, watched the minutes tick by and wasn’t called on,” Ronaldo said.
“The manager had broken his word to me.” Ronaldo said he later met Jesus in the presence of Simao Coutinho. He claimed the coach admitted that asking him to warm up and then leaving him on the bench was a mistake.
Ronaldo said Jesus also promised to explain the situation at his next press conference. A document was then prepared with several points from their discussion. Ronaldo said he checked and approved those notes.
The notes said Jesus had proposed the original plan and Ronaldo had accepted it. They also said Ronaldo never questioned the coach’s decisions and had remained “exemplary, loyal and professional.”
One of the points also compared Ronaldo’s status in football with Pele and Diego Maradona.
“I made a mistake by putting someone of the stature of Pele or Maradona to warm up and then not putting him in the game. If it were today I would not do it,” the note said.
But Ronaldo claimed Jesus did not follow what they had agreed when he later spoke to the media. “It was the second time he had broken his word to me,” Ronaldo said. “I decided to leave the training camp without waiting for any further broken promises.”
Jesus has given a different version of events. After Portugal’s win over Norway in the UEFA Nations League, the coach denied making an agreement with Ronaldo. He had earlier said that Ronaldo’s status did not put him above the team’s rules.
“Status is one thing; the rules are another,” Jesus said. Ronaldo also accepted responsibility for leaving the camp. He apologised for not greeting supporters after the Norway match and acknowledged that his role as captain made the situation more serious.
“The consequences of my actions must be assessed and punished by the Portuguese Football Federation,” he said.
Despite the dispute, Ronaldo has not closed the door on Portugal.
“If I’m physically fit, playing for my club, scoring goals, I hope, after serving whatever suspension is imposed on me, I’ll be available, as I’ve always been until now, to compete and win for our national team,” Ronaldo said.
