Cristiano Ronaldo provisionally suspended by Portugal after leaving national team

Cristiano Ronaldo has been provisionally suspended by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) after he walked out on the national team last week following his dispute with manager Jorge Jesus.

"Disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, following a decision by the Non-Professional Section on October 9, 2026," the federation said in a statement.

The FPF said that the case is designated as "urgent" and that disciplinary proceedings have been opened against Ronaldo. The 41-year-old is suspended pending a decision on his final punishment.

Portugal's next international fixtures will come on Nov. 14 and 17 when it plays Denmark and Wales in UEFA Nations League group play.

The disciplinary proceedings come in the wake of Ronaldo accusing Jesus of twice breaking promises about playing him during Portugal's Nations League match against Norway.

According to Ronaldo, the two agreed that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner would sit out matches against Norway and Denmark in order to manage his fitness. On the day of the Norway match, Ronaldo claims that Jesus told him that he would play 30 minutes.

During the match, Ronaldo warmed up during the second half, but was never subbed on. Jesus explained afterward that the state of the game — Portugal winning 2-1 — caused him to change his mind about bringing the forward on.

That didn't sit well with Ronaldo, who held a meeting with Jesus with Ronaldo claiming what was agreed to between the sides didn't come out in the manager's next press conference.

After leaving Portugal's camp, Ronaldo apologized to his teammates, said he will accept any punishment given to him by the FPF, claimed that he is not retiring from national team duty and hopes for "one or more" goodbye matches.

"The Portuguese Football Federation must assess the consequences of my actions and punish me for them," Ronaldo said in a statement on social media . "I believe the penalty should not be reduced. I am not just an ordinary player; I am the captain of the team, and that is an aggravating factor. I have already apologized, but I know that actions have consequences. Anyone in the world of football, like me, knows that the rules are the same for everyone, regardless of individual standing."

Ronaldo was already back to form on Friday when he scored the 980th goal of his career during Al-Nassr's 3-0 win over Diriyah in the Saudi Pro League.