The public statement was blunt: punish me without mitigating circumstances. The private paperwork tells a different story. Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, walked out of Portugal's training camp in Denmark last month, and the ruling now published shows he fought to shrink his own sanction. On social media, he had insisted the federation should punish him as it saw fit, adding that being captain was "an aggravating factor".

But in front of the disciplinary council, he offered three mitigating arguments: a clean record this season and in the previous three, his services to football, and his help in establishing the facts. To back up the second, he listed his trophies, including the 2016 European Championship, two Nations League titles and five Ballon d'Or awards, plus honours from senior state officials. It worked. The council accepted his case about services to the country and halved the penalty, then halved it again because he had accepted responsibility.

The result is a 30-day suspension and a €255 fine, to be served in a window with no international matches, so the ban will cost Portugal nothing on the pitch. The ruling also fills in the timeline. Coach Jorge Jesus had just told a press conference that he alone picks the team. Ronaldo then requested a car from the federation and set off for Copenhagen airport.