Ronaldo willing to accept Portugal punishment
by KO Reporter · KickOffPortugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo does not want to retire from international football but is willing to accept punishment for walking out on his national team during the most recent international break.
The 41-year-old left his national team camp, reportedly after a dispute with Portugal coach Jorge Jesus after he played no part in his nation’s UEFA Nations League game against Denmark.
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Ronaldo breaks his silence
"The Portuguese Football Federation must assess the consequences of my actions and punish me for them. I believe the punishment should not be reduced," Ronaldo said in a lengthy statement.
"I have already apologised, but I know that actions have consequences."
Ronaldo added that the reason he walked out on the national team was because Jesus had reportedly “broken his word” by telling him that he would feature as a substitute against Denmark.
"I owe an apology to my national team teammates for having left the camp... I apologise to the Portuguese people once again, but a broken word has, for me, a defining impact."
A long successful career
Ronaldo is widely regarded as Portugal’s greatest ever footballer, having made his Selecao debut in 2003.
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Since then, he has gone on to score 146 goals for his country from 234 games. However, in recent years, he has divided fan opinion, with some feeling that the team is no stronger without him due to his declining reflexes and age.
After the 2026 World Cup, Ronaldo confirmed that he had played his final World Cup tournament but stopped short of putting a date on when he will retire. However, he has said that the current season could be his last in professional football.
The Al Nassr star is currently targeting 1000 professional goals and is currently on 979 for clubs and country in total.