Cristiano Ronaldo wants to score his final 1,000th goal in Portugal shirt: How a six-month ban could ruin his ultimate career dream | Football News
Cristiano Ronaldo has apologised for walking out on Portugal, accepted that his actions should carry consequences and insisted he remains ready to represent his country. However, the fallout from his dispute with Jorge Jesus has now reached a new stage, with the Portuguese captain provisionally suspended and facing a potential ban ranging from one to six months. Meanwhile, the 41-year-old continues scoring for Al-Nassr, moving closer to the 1,000-goal milestone he has been chasing throughout the latter stages of his career.
Ronaldo provisionally suspended after Portugal walkout
According to ESPN and the Mirror, Portuguese Football Federation disciplinary regulations have triggered an automatic provisional suspension following Ronaldo’s departure from the national team camp, although the final duration of the punishment has yet to be determined.The FPF’s Disciplinary Council must still meet to decide the specific penalty, with reports suggesting that Ronaldo could receive a suspension ranging from one to six months. The assessment is expected to consider the circumstances surrounding his departure, his limited involvement during the international window and the public apology he subsequently issued.The dispute began after Ronaldo played in Portugal’s 1-0 Nations League victory over Wales before remaining an unused substitute in the following 2-1 win against Norway, despite warming up for approximately 30 minutes.
Soccer Football – Nations League – Group A4 – Norway v Portugal – Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway – September 27, 2026 Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo before the match Cornelius Poppe/NTB via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NORWAY OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN NORWAY.
Jesus later explained that he had considered bringing Ronaldo onto the pitch but ultimately decided against it, prompting a disagreement that continued after the match. An emergency meeting involving Ronaldo, Jesus and Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proença failed to prevent the forward from leaving the camp ahead of Portugal’s 4-2 victory over Denmark.Portugal have since secured qualification for the 2026–27 UEFA Nations League quarter-finals after winning all four of their Group A4 matches, leaving Ronaldo’s disciplinary situation as one of the outstanding issues surrounding the national team.
Ronaldo apologised and accepted that punishment could follow
Ronaldo addressed the dispute in a lengthy statement published on his social media channels on October 6, explaining his version of the conversations with Jesus and detailing why he eventually decided to leave the camp.The Al-Nassr forward claimed that Jesus had promised to acknowledge publicly that leaving him out against Norway after asking him to warm up had been a mistake. Ronaldo said the coach failed to honour that agreement during the subsequent press conference, prompting him to lose trust in the situation.
Ronaldo reportedly left Portugal after Jesus allegedly broke promises over his Norway warm-up, with a private apology replaced by public defiance/ Image: X
Although Ronaldo defended his reasons for leaving, he also accepted responsibility for walking away from his teammates and failing to greet the supporters after the Norway match.“I also apologise to my national team teammates for leaving the training camp. For despite my complete breach of the coach’s trust, as everyone who witnessed these conversations can attest, I should not have done that. The responsibility rests on me alone,” Ronaldo wrote.He also acknowledged that the federation had grounds to consider disciplinary action, despite his belief that Jesus had broken his promise.“The Portuguese Football Federation must assess the consequences of my actions and punish me for them. 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.”Ronaldo added that he understood the need for consequences and would remain available for Portugal after serving whatever suspension the federation ultimately imposes.“Therefore, if I am physically well, playing for my club, with goals I hope, after serving the suspension that may be applied to me, I will be available, as I have always been until today, to compete and win for our national team. This is, believe me, the purest of truths.” Ronaldo concluded.
What a one-month, three-month or six-month ban would mean
The length of Ronaldo’s suspension will determine whether he misses Portugal’s next international fixtures against Wales and Denmark, scheduled for November 14 and 17 respectively.According to the reports, a suspension lasting one month would allow Ronaldo to return in time for those matches, provided the ban begins and expires within the expected period. A longer punishment would rule him out of the November fixtures, forcing Jesus to continue without his captain during the next stage of the Nations League group campaign.A three-month suspension, for example, would sideline Ronaldo for those two matches but could still leave him available for the quarter-finals in March 2027, assuming the punishment expires as expected before that stage begins.A six-month ban would carry considerably greater consequences, potentially keeping Ronaldo out until April 2027 and making him unavailable for Portugal’s March quarter-final fixtures. Such a punishment would extend the fallout beyond the immediate dispute and could disrupt his involvement in a crucial part of Portugal’s Nations League campaign.
Soccer Football – Nations League – Group A4 – Norway v Portugal – Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway – September 27, 2026 Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo arrives at the stadium ahead of the match Lise Aserud/NTB via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NORWAY OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN NORWAY.
However, ESPN has suggested that a shorter suspension is more likely, with the disciplinary council expected to weigh Ronaldo’s public apology and his long record of service to Portugal when determining the final penalty.The federation has not yet confirmed the length of the ban, meaning Ronaldo’s availability for the November matches remains dependent on the decision.Also read: Cristiano Ronaldo has only one personal ambition that could make him swallow his pride and return to Portugal
Ronaldo reaches 980 career goals despite the uncertainty
While his international future remains unresolved, Ronaldo has continued doing what he does best at club level, adding another goal to his extraordinary career tally during Al-Nassr’s Saudi Pro League meeting with Al-Diriyah on Friday, October 9.Ronaldo scored in the 23rd minute of Al-Nassr’s 3-0 victory, reacting quickest after Kingsley Coman’s attacking move produced a save from the goalkeeper before firing the rebound into the net.The goal took Ronaldo to 980 official career goals, leaving him just 20 short of the 1,000-goal milestone he has been pursuing. Samú Costa and Coman also scored as Al-Nassr secured an important league victory.Ronaldo has scored a record 146 goals in 234 appearances for Portugal, and he remains intent on representing his country once he has served any punishment imposed by the federation. That determination may be particularly important given his ambition to reach another historic milestone in international colours.With 980 career goals to his name, Ronaldo is just 20 away from the coveted 1,000-goal mark. Portuguese journalist Miguel Pereira has previously reported that the forward wants to achieve the feat in a Portugal shirt rather than for Al-Nassr, adding another layer of significance to his continued involvement with the national team. Any suspension could therefore complicate his pursuit of a milestone he hopes to celebrate not just as a personal achievement, but in his country’s colours.
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