Cristiano Ronaldo rules out Portugal retirement and asks federation to punish walkout

Cristiano Ronaldo has said he is not retiring from international football and has asked the Portuguese Football Federation to punish him for leaving the national squad. According to BBC Sport, the Portugal captain acknowledged in a statement that he had broken his coach's trust and said his apology should not spare him the consequences of his actions.

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The 41-year-old Al-Nassr forward left Portugal's Nations League camp after remaining on the bench against Norway and then learning that he would also be left out of the starting line-up against Denmark. BBC Sport's account of the dispute said Ronaldo had warmed up during the Norway match but was not brought on, and headed down the tunnel at the final whistle.

In his latest statement, Ronaldo said the federation should assess his conduct and impose a punishment without reducing it. He also described himself as willing to return after a period of suspension. The BBC report did not specify an announced sanction or its length, so his reference to a suspension does not establish when he could next be available for selection.

Ronaldo made his wish to continue conditional on remaining physically fit, playing for his club and, he hoped, scoring goals. His position follows comments from Portugal manager Jorge Jesus on Sunday that a return remained possible. Jesus said they could speak before the next squad announcement and that Ronaldo would decide whether he wanted to come back.

The disagreement emerged early in Jesus's time as Portugal coach. BBC Sport reported that he replaced Roberto Martinez after the World Cup, having coached Ronaldo at Al-Nassr the previous season. Ronaldo started Portugal's 1-0 victory over Wales before being left on the bench against Norway. His subsequent departure turned those selection decisions into a dispute over his national-team future.

Ronaldo has scored 146 goals in 234 appearances for Portugal, with both totals standing as world records, according to the BBC. He has helped his country win Euro 2016 and two Nations League titles. His latest statement confirms his desire to add to that international career while accepting that his departure from camp should carry a disciplinary consequence.