“I owe an apology to my national team teammates for having left the camp,” Ronaldo said, accepting full responsibility for his actions.

BARCELONA: Cristiano Ronaldo has accused Portugal coach Jorge Jesus of breaking his word over his playing time in Nations League matches, while apologising for leaving the national team camp.

The 41-year-old forward said he remained committed to Portugal and would accept any punishment imposed for his decision to leave the squad.

“I will be available, as I have always been until today, to compete and win for our national team,” Ronaldo said in a statement of nearly 2,000 words.

Ronaldo Apologises for Leaving Portugal Camp

Ronaldo apologised to his teammates and Portuguese supporters for walking out of the national team camp before the match against Denmark.

He acknowledged that leaving was wrong but said his decision followed what he described as a serious breakdown of trust between himself and Jesus.

“I owe an apology to my national team teammates for having left the camp,” Ronaldo said, accepting full responsibility for his actions.

The veteran striker added that he believed his continued presence could have negatively affected the squad after the dispute with the coach.

Dispute Over Ronaldo’s Playing Time

Ronaldo said Jesus initially presented him with a plan for the international window under which he would start Portugal’s opening and final home matches but would not travel for games against Norway and Denmark.

The Al-Nassr forward rejected the proposal, arguing that it would send the wrong message for the national team captain to remain at home while his teammates travelled.

Before Portugal’s match against Norway, Ronaldo said Jesus unexpectedly asked whether he could play around 30 minutes.

Ronaldo agreed and began warming up at half-time, but the coach ultimately did not send him onto the pitch.

The Portugal captain said he considered the decision another failure by Jesus to keep his word.

Ronaldo Cites “Broken Promises”

According to Ronaldo, he later spoke with Jesus and the two agreed that the coach would address the matter and apologise during a press conference before the Denmark match.

Ronaldo, however, said Jesus’s subsequent comments were significantly different from what had been discussed privately and included an aggressive tone he had not previously experienced from the coach.

He described the incident as the second time Jesus had failed to honour an agreement and decided to leave the camp rather than wait for another dispute.

Portugal Captain Accepts Possible Punishment

Ronaldo said he understood that his actions could result in disciplinary measures and accepted that the Portuguese Football Federation had the authority to punish him.

He also stressed that his position as captain meant he should be held to a higher standard.

“I understand that the punishment should not have mitigating circumstances. I’m not just any player, I’m the team captain, and that is an aggravating factor,” he said.

Despite the controversy, Portugal have won all four of their Nations League matches and secured qualification for the quarter-finals with two games remaining.