Cristiano Ronaldo has been punished for walking out on Portugal.
The Portuguese Football Federation announced Monday that the 41-year-old captain has been suspended for 30 days and fined €255 (about $286) after he left the national team’s camp in Denmark during the most recent international window.
The suspension is backdated to Sept. 30, the day Ronaldo left camp, meaning he will be available for selection again when Portugal next plays on Nov. 14.
The Disciplinary Council released a statement detailing their official verdict on Ronaldo.
The statement read: “Accordingly, and on the grounds set out above, the Disciplinary Council – Non-Professional Section – of the Portuguese Football Federation hereby decides, in these proceedings, to uphold the charges in their entirety and, consequently, find the accused, Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, guilty of committing, on one occasion and intentionally, the disciplinary offense provided for and punishable under Article 160(1) of the RDFPF. As a result, he is handed a 30-day suspension and an additional fine of 2.5 units, amounting to €255 (two hundred and fifty-five euros).”
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo went unused off the bench in Portugal’s 2-1 Nations League win at Norway on Sept. 27. Ronaldo said Jorge Jesus told him he would play in the second half. (Photo by Torbjorn Tande/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)
The dispute began when Ronaldo was an unused substitute in Portugal’s 2-1 Nations League win at Norway on Sept. 27. Ronaldo said head coach Jorge Jesus had told him beforehand he would get about a half-hour on the field. Jesus had him warm up, but he never entered the match.
Tensions boiled over days later when Jesus said Ronaldo wouldn’t start against Denmark, and Ronaldo left camp the day before the match in Copenhagen.
Portugal won that game and its rematch with Norway without him, leaving the team atop its Nations League group with a perfect record through four matches.
In a lengthy statement posted to Instagram on Oct. 6, Ronaldo accused Jesus of breaking promises but took responsibility for leaving. “I owe my national team teammates an apology for leaving the training camp,” he said. He also called on the federation to sanction him, arguing that as captain, his position “constitutes an aggravating factor.”
The pair had worked together at Al-Nassr, winning the Saudi Pro League together in 2025-26, before Jesus took over the national team.
Ronaldo did not announce an end to his international career. He is the all-time leading scorer in men’s international soccer with 146 goals in 234 appearances for Portugal, and he captained the team to the Euro 2016 title and two Nations League crowns.
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