Ronaldo slams coach for broken promises, cites Pelé and Maradona
In a terse Instagram post that night, 41‑year‑old Cristiano Ronaldo announced he had walked out of Portugal’s training camp after a dispute with national team coach Jorge Jesus, accusing the manager of breaking promises and leaving him out of the Norway match.
Ronaldo’s Instagram outburst
According to Cristiano Ronaldo, national team coach Jorge Jesus has not kept his promises. The Portuguese forward wrote: “Volgens Cristiano Ronaldo is bondscoach Jorge Jesus (inzet) zijn beloftes niet nagekomen.” He later uploaded a ten‑slide Instagram story to elaborate.
Dispute over playing time
Ronaldo added on the same platform: “Ik had geen zin in nog meer gebroken beloftes.” The statement underscored his frustration after being left out of the Norway fixture.
The 41‑year‑old had hinted after the last World Cup that he might quit international football. He said the federation’s chairman urged him to reconsider, insisting he remain with Portugal.
Ronaldo claimed that Jesus had initially agreed he would sit out the matches against Norway and Denmark. On the day of the Norway game, Jesus told him he would feature for thirty minutes.
Ronaldo apologises to the national team and reopens the door for Portugal
Ronaldo said he warmed up at half‑time, watched the minutes tick by and was never substituted. He admitted he left the camp without thanking his teammates or the Portuguese crowd and offered an apology for abandoning them.
Future of the Portugal star
Two days after the Norway defeat, Ronaldo held an “intense and very direct” talk with Jesus, he wrote, saying nothing was left unsaid. They agreed that the only way to close the matter was for the coach to repeat in a press conference what he had just told Ronaldo.
Ronaldo claimed the press conference fell short of that promise. He wrote: “Zijn houding leek in niets op die tijdens ons gesprek. Ik hoorde opmerkingen en aanvallen die naar mijn mening niet gerechtvaardigd waren, een houding van: ‘Ik wil het, ik kan het en ik ben de baas’.”
Ronaldo breaks silence, blames dishonesty after quitting Portugal team
Ronaldo listed eight points he believed were breached, including the omission of a specific apology. He quoted himself: “Ik heb een fout gemaakt door iemand met de statuur van Pelé en Diego Maradona te laten warmlopen, maar niet in te laten vallen.”
Despite the fallout, Ronaldo said he will not rule out a comeback once his suspension is served. “If I am physically fit, playing for my club and scoring goals, I will be available as I have always been,” he concluded.