Cristiano Ronaldo explains his side of spat with Portugal coach while keeping door open to return

Cristiano Ronaldo is not done with Portugal’s national team and said in a lengthy statement that he will remain available to the squad, while providing new details surrounding his unexpected departure from the club and the seeming rift between himself and coach Jorge Jesus. All of it came to a head last week when the 41-year-old footballer departed the national team camp in the middle of a slate of UEFA Nations League matches.The surprising move came after he went unused as a substitute in the 2-1 win over Norway on sept.

27, which Ronaldo said in the statement was Jesus breaking his word to him. Despite the drama, Ronaldo is still hoping to play for the national team and get one final farewell before the curtain closes on his soccer career. “If I am physically fit, playing for my club, scoring goals, I hope, that after serving whatever suspension is imposed on me, I will be available, as I have always been until today, to compete and win for our national team,” Ronaldo said in a nearly 2,000-word statement. While Jesus said there “was no issue” between himself and Ronaldo, the soccer icon alleged in the statement that the Portugal coach had broken his word twice, with the first instance being Jesus not playing him against Norway and the second coming from the “aggressiveness” during his press conference on the matter. “To my absolute surprise, the coach asked me whether I was ready to play 30 minutes [against Norway],” Ronaldo said.“I was completely focused on my physical recovery, integrated with my teammates as always, and thinking that I would not play that day.I had no problem with that.“This request was outside my physical recovery and training plan — because I was only supposed to play on Oct.

4 at the Dragão — but obviously I said yes.He told me to be prepared because I would play 30 minutes.“Everyone knows what happened next.

I warmed up from halftime, watched the minutes go by, and was not called upon.“The coach had b...