Ronaldo accuses Portugal coach Jorge Jesus of broken promises

Cristiano Ronaldo accused Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus of twice breaking his word to him, in a statement he shared with Reuters on 6 October. "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." He apologised to his team-mates and to the Portuguese people for leaving the squad.

Ronaldo said Jesus had agreed a plan under which he would miss the Norway and Denmark matches to manage his fitness, but that on the day of the Norway game the coach told him he would play for 30 minutes. "I warmed up from half-time onwards, watched the minutes tick by and wasn't called on," Ronaldo said. He was an unused substitute in Portugal's 2-1 win away to Norway on 27 September.

The Guardian reported that a later meeting with Jesus, attended by Al Nassr sporting director Simao Coutinho, produced an agreement for the coach to clarify events at his next press conference, and that an eight-point document was prepared. According to Ronaldo, the document said he had never demanded playing time, had respected Jesus's decisions, and that asking him to warm up without bringing him on had been a mistake. Ronaldo said the coach's public remarks bore no resemblance to their private discussion.

Jesus denied he had made any agreement with the player, speaking on Sunday after Portugal's win over Norway, and left the door open for Ronaldo to return, according to Sky Sports and the Guardian. The Portuguese Football Federation did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Ronaldo's statement, the Guardian reported.

Ronaldo said he should be held accountable for his actions. "The Portuguese Football Federation must assess the consequences of my actions and punish me for them. I believe the punishment should not be reduced," he said, adding: "I have already apologised, but I know that actions have consequences."

Ronaldo said he was not retiring from international football. "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," he said. BBC Sport reported he has scored 146 goals in 234 Portugal appearances, both world records, and helped Portugal win Euro 2016 and the Nations League twice.