Cristiano Ronaldo brands Jorge Jesus's actions an 'absolute breach of trust' after walking out on Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo has accused Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus of an "absolute breach of trust" in an extraordinary near-2,000-word statement on Instagram, deepening the biggest crisis of his record-breaking international career after walking out of the national team camp.

The 41-year-old left the squad after being an unused substitute in Portugal's Nations League win over Norway and then learning he would not start against Denmark. Ronaldo had started and played 67 minutes of the win over Wales in Jesus's first match since replacing Roberto Martínez after the World Cup, but the veteran coach — who also manages Ronaldo at Saudi club Al Nassr — said a verbal agreement existed that the captain would not start against Norway, though he might come off the bench.

When Ronaldo went to warm up early in the second half of a tight game that Portugal ultimately won 2-1, Jesus never sent him on. Ronaldo walked out of the camp — with Jesus having initially dismissed reports of a rift by insisting there was "no incident whatsoever" — and, after what the Guardian described as the coach's refusal to "pay penance for his blasphemy", came the statement.

'Broke his word' twice, says Ronaldo

In the statement, published on Tuesday, Ronaldo said Jesus had twice "broke his word": firstly by not playing him against Norway after saying he would, and then by going back on a decision to present an agreed version of events to the media. He apologised to fans and team-mates for leaving the camp and said the consequences of that must be "assessed and punished" — while firmly rejecting any suggestion that he had played his last match for Portugal.

"We will have one or more farewell matches, there will be time for that," the statement read. Ronaldo also indicated he remains available for selection by the Selecao.

Jesus unmoved: 'Not him, not anyone, not any president. Never!'

Jesus has said the door remains open for Ronaldo to return if he chooses to — and has offered another meeting to try to resolve the situation — but reportedly had not even seen the statement, saying he had been watching Portugal's Under-21s game. Publicly, the 72-year-old has been unrepentant, insisting the team comes before any individual.

"I can say to any player that you're starting on the bench: if I need you for 30 minutes you're going to play, if I don't need you, you're not going to play," Jesus said. "The way I was reading the game he didn't come on. Because it's not Cristiano, just like it will never be any player that will change my ideas as the coach. Never! Not him, not anyone in football. Not him, not anyone, not any president. Never! Zero!"

The Portuguese Football Federation, meanwhile, appears to have already accepted how the affair will end, with plans reportedly under way for a farewell game for the country's record scorer. Both Jesus and Ronaldo have indicated they will say more this week.

Portugal thriving without their captain

Crucially for Jesus, results have backed up his hard line. In Ronaldo's absence Portugal beat Denmark 4-2, a performance the Guardian described as superb, with Gonçalo Ramos — the man who replaced Ronaldo at the 2022 World Cup and scored a hat-trick in a 6-1 last-16 win over Switzerland — setting up the first goal and scoring another. Ramos had already struck the winner against Norway, and was on target again, according to the Guardian, when Portugal came from behind to beat Norway at home on Sunday, making it four wins from four in the window.

"The new manager is a great help," Ramos said. "We have clearer ideas; we know exactly where each teammate is, both in defense and attack. We're improving day by day, and it's all part of a process. We're very happy with the win, once again against a good team."

Others are beginning to break cover, too. Midfielder Vitinha said Portugal's improvement has been "the work of the coach … I think beyond the win, the content of our game was great." Bruno Fernandes has been notably diplomatic, but the sense that the squad is ready to move on is growing. Even Denmark striker Rasmus Hojlund got in on the act after scoring against Ronaldo-less Portugal, celebrating with his idol's trademark 'siuuu' in a tribute reported last week.

'Things will never be the same again'

Portuguese journalist Jose Delgado believes there is no way back for Ronaldo. "In the statement, Ronaldo says he will return to the national team but at the same time he calls Jesus a liar three times," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"In the polls in Portugal made about this issue, only 15% of the Portuguese were on Ronaldo's side and people think we owe him a lot but his time is already done and he must understand it," Delgado said. "The problem is that Ronaldo does not understand it, he wants to keep playing as if he was 24, not 41."

Delgado added: "Things will never be the same again. No matter what happens, no matter if he plays again or if you have a game to say goodbye to Ronaldo, things will never be the same."

"What Ronaldo did for Portuguese football is unique and incredible and we must thank him for all the service he gave to Portugal. But at 41, he has no place in the best XI of Portugal," he concluded.

Fans divided on the streets of Lisbon

The split among supporters has been laid bare in public. Posters have appeared on billboards across Lisbon praising Ronaldo and criticising Jesus, reading: "Thank you Cristiano Ronaldo for everything you did for Portugal. You will always be our captain. Jorge Jesus was not up to the task. Lack of sensitivity. Treating a captain wrongly. Inflated ego."

At the Denmark game, meanwhile, some fans wore T-shirts spelling out "Love you Jesus" while others arrived head-to-toe in Ronaldo merchandise.

The numbers that make walking away so hard

Ronaldo's Portugal record remains without parallel: 146 goals in 234 appearances — both all-time records in men's international football — along with the Euro 2016 title and two Nations League crowns. It seems unlikely he will voluntarily retire from international football before reaching the elusive 1,000-goal mark he is chasing for club and country; he is currently on 979.

His form at Al Nassr shows no sign of waning either — three goals in six Saudi Pro League appearances this season, according to FotMob data. Many fans, though, had already been critical of former Portugal boss Roberto Martínez's insistence on starting Ronaldo at this summer's World Cup, where at 41 he was no longer the dynamic force of old and many felt his presence hindered the team rather than helped it.

'A monstrous albatross of his ego'

For the Guardian's Jonathan Wilson, the time for sentiment has long passed. "If this is to be the end for Cristiano Ronaldo at international level, at least it can be said that he left the stage as he bestrode it: with monumental self-regard," Wilson wrote, arguing that Ronaldo has "actively and obviously held Portugal back" for the past four years.

"There is a great generation of technical talent here weighed down by the monstrous albatross of his ego," he wrote. Wilson accepts Jesus — "not, it's fair to say, a diplomat", and a coach whose career has been characterised by rifts with players who resisted him — could have handled matters differently, but believes the break "should have happened long ago".

"It is sad Ronaldo's career should have ended this way," Wilson wrote. "But the saddest element is that a great player could be so deluded about his own fading ability that a national team's hopes and dreams should have been sacrificed to his quest to break goalscoring records."

Jesus's view, for now, is that the door is open. Ronaldo's is that he will be back. Whether either man is right may define the final chapter of one of the greatest international careers of all time.

Additional reporting based on earlier coverage of Ronaldo's walkout and the Denmark match from BBC Sport, Sky Sports and FotMob.