According to a report by Daily Post on Monday November 9, 2026, Portuguese journalist Pedro Sepúlveda has revealed a possible reason behind Cristiano Ronaldo's decision to retire from international football, claiming that the Al-Nassr captain wanted a public apology from Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus.

Ronaldo recently announced his decision to end his international career, bringing an end to an extraordinary spell with the Portuguese national team.

The 41-year-old leaves international football as Portugal's most capped player, having made 234 appearances and scored a men's international record of 146 goals.

However, according to Sepúlveda, the decision came after attempts by Jesus and Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proença to convince him to reconsider his position reportedly failed.

Speaking to talkSPORT, the journalist explained that both men had contacted Ronaldo in the days leading up to his retirement announcement in an attempt to persuade him to return to the national team.

Sepúlveda claimed that Ronaldo had initially given them some hope that he could reconsider his decision.

He said: "Both Jorge Jesus and Pedro Proença tried to contact Ronaldo in recent days, attempting to convince him to rejoin the national team, especially since Ronaldo had given them a glimmer of hope."

However, the journalist claimed that Ronaldo had one condition before considering a return to international football.

According to Sepúlveda, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward wanted Jesus to publicly apologise to him over their disagreement.

"To be frank, Ronaldo wanted a public apology from Jorge Jesus, while Jesus confirmed that he would never apologize to any player," the journalist said.

Jesus had previously made his position clear when questioned about the situation, asking reporters what he was supposed to apologise for and insisting that no player would change his thinking.

The disagreement reportedly became a major obstacle to any possible reconciliation between the two Portuguese football figures.

Sepúlveda further suggested that Ronaldo's time with the national team under Jesus was now definitively over because neither man appeared willing to change his position.

"Ronaldo wants something, and Jesus has made it clear he will not give it to him. Therefore, Cristiano's time under Jesus's management with the Portuguese national team is definitively over," he added.

The reported disagreement came after a difficult period for Ronaldo during the September-October international window.

The Portugal captain was left on the bench for the 2-1 victory over Norway after warming up, before reportedly leaving the national team's camp ahead of the subsequent match against Denmark.

Ronaldo had also complained about broken promises, further increasing speculation about tensions within the national team.

His last appearance for Portugal was the 1-0 victory over Wales in Lisbon on September 24.

Following the incident, the Portuguese Football Federation fined him and imposed a 30-day suspension. Ronaldo subsequently indicated that he would be available again after serving the punishment.

However, his reported disagreement with Jesus appears to have complicated the situation, with the journalist claiming that the demand for an apology ultimately stood in the way of his return.

Meanwhile, Portugal have already started preparing for life without their legendary captain, with Bernardo Silva taking over the national team's captaincy.

Players such as Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo and Ruben Neves are also expected to form part of the leadership group.

Jesus has also announced a 28-man squad for Portugal's upcoming Nations League fixtures without Ronaldo.

The squad includes seven new faces: Alberto Costa, António Silva, Mateus Fernandes, Carlos Forbs, Geovany Quenda, Rodrigo Mora and Gustavo Varela.