Ronaldo opens the door to return to the Portuguese national team and apologizes for leaving the camp

Ronaldo's stance comes after Jesus put the return to the national team in the hands of the Saudi Al-Nassr top scorer, as reported on Sunday after qualifying for the quarter-finals of the European Nations League with a 2-1 win over Norway.

The dispute began when Jesus kept the 41-year-old all-time top scorer on the bench in Portugal's 2-1 win over Norway a week earlier.

Ronaldo decided to leave the national team camp last Wednesday after learning that he would not start in the match against Denmark, which also ended in his country's favor, 4-2.

Jesus told reporters that "for me, if Chris, in the next call-up, is playing for Al-Nassr, he will be a player who can be called up. If he wants to, he will return to the national team"

In his statement on Tuesday, Ronaldo wrote, "I owe an apology to my national team colleagues for leaving the camp"

He added, "Despite the complete breakdown of trust in the coach's word... I should not have done that. The responsibility lies solely on me"

Ronaldo also apologized to the fans for leaving, explaining at the same time the reasons for his decision, saying, "I apologize again to the Portuguese people, but breaking a promise has a decisive impact on me"

He added, "From that moment on, I felt that my presence would only harm the group, and I did what I always said I would do if I didn't feel useful, so I packed my bags and left"

Ronaldo explained that the new coach Jesus initially offered him a plan for this international break that would see him start the opening match and the final match on Portuguese soil, without traveling for the other two matches in Norway and Denmark.

The Al-Nassr star rejected this proposal, considering that keeping the national team captain in Portugal while his teammates travel would set a bad example.

Before the Norway match, Ronaldo said Jesus had suddenly asked him if he was ready to play for 30 minutes.

He agreed and started warming up at the end of the first half, but he did not participate in the match.

Ronaldo said, "The coach did not keep his promise to me," adding that he talked to Jesus afterward, and they agreed that the coach would apologize during a press conference before the Denmark match.

However, the 41-year-old said that Jesus' press conference afterward was completely different from what they had agreed on in their private conversation, and it was "somewhat hostile" which he had never experienced with the coach before.

He wrote, "That was the second time he did not keep his promise. I decided to leave the camp without waiting for more unfulfilled promises"

The top scorer acknowledged that he would accept any "suspension imposed" on him, admitting that he deserved punishment for his actions.

He believed that "the consequences of this action I took must be evaluated and punished by the Portuguese Football Federation. I understand that the punishment should not include any mitigating circumstances. I am not an ordinary player, but the captain of the national team, and this is an aggravating factor"