Cristiano Ronaldo says he will not retire from Portugal duty

Ronaldo accuses Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus of breaking his word. He says Jesus told him on the day of the Norway match that he would play 30 minutes. "I warmed up from half-time onwards, watched the minutes tick by and wasn't called on," he said. "The coach had broken his word to me."

He apologised to the fans, to his team-mates and to the Portuguese people for leaving the camp. He said his failure to thank the supporters in Norway was solely his responsibility, and he asked the Portuguese Football Federation to punish him without leniency.

Ronaldo also said he had written a letter announcing his international retirement after the World Cup. According to him, federation president Pedro Proença persuaded him to stay on the flight home and asked what he thought of Jesus as the next head coach. Ronaldo said he told Proença it would be the right choice.

He said Jesus later agreed, in a meeting also attended by Al Nassr sporting director Simão Coutinho, to say publicly that he never demanded minutes and that it was a mistake to let him warm up without bringing him on. Ronaldo said the press conference that followed did not reflect that conversation. Jesus denied that any such agreement had been made.

Jesus has said the door is still open for Ronaldo to return. After the statement was released, he said he had not read it and would respond once he had. "I didn't read Cristiano's statement," he said. "I was watching the U21 game. I will now have time to read it."