Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal walk-out left mother in ‘tears’ as she reveals what she told star, 41, after he quit the team’s camp ‘through the back door’

DAILYMAIL.COM • 6m ago

By LUKE AUGUSTUS, ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR 19:30 08 Oct 2026, updated 19:53 08 Oct 2026

Cristiano Ronaldo’s mother has revealed she ‘cried’ following the ‘shock’ of his walk-out from the Portugal squad last week.

The Portugal captain left their UEFA Nations League camp after being an unused substitute in their 2-1 win at Norway on September 27.

The much-publicised fallout continued on Tuesday night when the 41-year-old, who has scored a record-breaking 146 goals in 234 appearances for his country, issued a near 2,000-word statement saying he withdrew from the squad after a ‘breach of trust’ between him and head coach Jorge Jesus.

Now speaking out for the first time publicly, Ronaldo’s mother Dolores Aveiro has leaped to his defence – stating the situation brought her to tears.

‘I feel sad, it’s normal. It was a shock, my son could have left through the main door and instead he left through the small door, but it’s okay, God will take care of it…’, she said in a statement to TV 7 Dias.

‘I cried a little. It’s good too, to let go. We have to turn this around.’

Aveiro, 71, also revealed the details of her first telephone conversation with her son once the news broke about his walk-out – adding her belief that he is not valued as much as he should be considering his feats for his country.

‘He told me: “Mom, don’t worry, I’ll tell you the truth when we’re all together”.

‘And I replied: “OK, son, get over it”. And that was it. I told him to calm down, but well, his head decided to do that. We’ll see. I gave him all my support, it was no use.

‘But it’s okay, he gave a lot to Portugal, so he’s always there. He was always Portugal’s hero. They’re not valuing him as they should.

‘They don’t value Cristiano. He’s the Portuguese player we have.’

After walking out on September 27, the iconic No 7 missed Portugal’s following two fixtures, wins over Denmark and Norway, which left them top of Group A4 with four straight wins, fuelling speculation his international career could be over.

Ronaldo said in his statement that he had agreed a game-management plan with Jesus for the latest round of Nations League fixtures, but this changed in the opening game against Norway.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star said he was told he would play for 30 minutes and, although asked to warm up in the second half, he was not used.

He also accused Jesus of reneging on an agreement to help explain the player’s frustrations in a press conference before the Denmark game following a meeting between the pair and Al-Nassr sporting director Simao Coutinho.

Ronaldo apologised in his statement to his Portugal team-mates and to the Portuguese people and said he would be available to play for his country in future.

‘The consequence of this act of mine must be assessed and punished by the Portuguese Football Federation,’ Ronaldo said on Instagram.

‘I believe the punishment should have no mitigating factors. I am not just any player. I am a team captain and that is an aggravating factor.

‘I have already apologised but I know that actions must have consequences.’

Speaking on Wednesday, Jesus revealed he has read Ronaldo’s lengthy explanation for walking out on the national team but opted not to comment further on the matter.

Jesus told reporters when leaving his home on Wednesday: ‘I read the statement and now I do (like I do) every day. I’m going to the federation to work, think about the team.’

Before that statement came out, Jesus did leave the door open for Ronaldo after being asked on Sunday following their 2-1 win over Norway.

‘If he wants to, he’ll return to the national team,’ he said.

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