Cristiano Ronaldo has accused his coach of breaking a promise and says he has no intention of stepping away from the game, according to sportschau.de. The Portugal forward made the claim in a statement explaining the circumstances around his departure, the outlet reported on Tuesday.
Ronaldo described the situation as a matter of a broken word, a phrase picked up by Kicker, which reported that he explained how the departure came about and confirmed he wants to continue playing. The statement also included an apology, according to Transfermarkt, which characterized the remarks as both an apology and a settling of accounts and quoted Ronaldo calling it "the pure truth."
German outlet n-tv.de reported that the superstar issued the statement to raise his accusations while making clear he would not step back. BILD, meanwhile, framed the development as Ronaldo reaching a decision about his Portugal future.
The reports do not specify which coach Ronaldo was referring to, nor do they detail the promise he says was broken. No further specifics about the timing or the nature of the departure were included in the material available.
Ronaldo's insistence that he will keep playing points to a continued international career rather than a farewell, though the outlets covering the statement did not say what comes next for him.
What to watch next: whether Ronaldo or the Portuguese federation provides further detail on the dispute and his plans.
