Ronaldo wants Portugal 'punishment' but not retiring — SkimNews
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- Cristiano Ronaldo said the Portuguese Football Federation 'must assess the consequences' of his walkout and punish him, but insisted he is not retiring from international football after 234 caps and a world-record 146 goals for Portugal.
- Ronaldo accused head coach Jorge Jesus of an 'absolute breach of trust' — first telling him he'd play 30 minutes against Norway then leaving him on the bench, and then failing to present an agreed 8-point version of events at a press conference.
- Ronaldo revealed he had considered retiring after Portugal's last-16 exit at this summer's World Cup and had even drafted a farewell letter to fans, but was talked out of it by FPF president Pedro Proença on the flight home from the United States.
- Jorge Jesus responded on Sunday that there is 'no rift' with Ronaldo and that the door remains open for him to return to the national team, while Ronaldo is serving what he called a 'suspension period'.
- Portugal won both the Norway and Denmark Nations League matches without Ronaldo in the squad and return to action in November against Denmark and Wales.
- Ronaldo has returned to training with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, where he is chasing 1,000 career goals — he currently sits on 979 across Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Al-Nassr, and Portugal.
Why it matters: Ronaldo's near-retirement letter after the World Cup and Jesus's prior stint managing him at Al-Nassr show this rift has deeper roots than one Nations League squad call. With Portugal winning without him, the 41-year-old captain faces a rare public test of whether his world-record status still insulates him from the consequences he himself is demanding.
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