Cristiano Ronaldo published an open letter on his social media account confirming his availability for the Portugal national team after a reported feud with coach Jorge Jesus. The 41-year-old forward addressed his sudden exit from the Portugal camp after he was left on the bench in the side's 2-1 UEFA Nations League win at Norway on September 27.
He wrote: "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 blamed coach Jesus for the clash, saying Jesus broke his word by not bringing him on during the Norway match and later showed aggressiveness when speaking to the press after the game. "To my absolute surprise, the coach asked me whether I was ready to play 30 minutes," Ronaldo said, referring to a prior agreement that he would not play.
He currently leads men's international soccer with 146 goals and is eyeing 1,000 career goals. He remains a central figure for his country despite recent controversies over team management and selection.