Portuguese football legend Cristiano Ronaldo left the national team camp in Denmark. This occurred after coach Jorge Jesus informed the media that he would not be included in the squad for the upcoming match again, following his previous absence from the 2-1 victory over Norway.
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo announced on Wednesday that he had left the team's training camp in Denmark. This statement followed a press conference by coach Jorge Jesus, who told reporters about the possible exclusion of the forward from the next match.
Ronaldo was scheduled to train with teammates at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen on Wednesday, but he suddenly departed after Jesus's press conference.
The veteran coach stated that Ronaldo, who spent the entire match on the bench against Norway on Sunday, would also not start in the Nations League match in Thursday away against Denmark.
After the national team press conference, Ronaldo wrote on Instagram: 'After the national team coach's press conference and after talking with the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, I decided to leave the national team training camp.' He added: 'I will tell all Portuguese people the truth about the reasons for my departure from the national team, to which I have always been devoted.' Concluding his message, he wished Portugal and all teammates good luck without exception.
Jesus had previously insisted there were no disagreements between him and Ronaldo, although the 72-year-old player admitted that his captain was disappointed that he remained on the bench during the team's Nations League victory over Norway.
After the 2-1 victory in Oslo, Ronaldo went directly to the locker room, not joining his teammates to greet Portuguese fans in the stands. Jesus assured reporters: 'There was no incident.' He continued: 'Any player—and I myself was a player... when you spend 20 or 30 minutes warming up, and then you are not let out... nobody is happy about that.'
The Portuguese coach specified that before the match, he warned Ronaldo that he would not be in the starting lineup but could be substituted later in the game. 'Later, as a coach, I decided not to let him out. That is no reason for a fuss,' emphasized Jesus. The former Benfica boss also explained that Ronaldo did not refuse training on Tuesday, as some Portuguese media suggested, but performed individual exercises for physical 'mobility' and 'strengthening.'
Jesus said that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner would train as usual on Wednesday; however, despite arriving at the stadium by team bus, Ronaldo did not take the field with his teammates in Copenhagen. Portuguese media published a video showing him leaving Parken Stadium with two staff members immediately after Jesus's press conference.
Just before posting on social media, the Portuguese federation released a brief statement merely confirming that the former player for 'Real', 'Manchester United', and 'Juventus' was not training.
Jesus had previously stated that for the match in Denmark, he intended to start the 'Milan' forward Gonçalo Ramos again, who scored the winning goal against the Norwegians. He said: 'If everything goes according to plan, Gonçalo will play,' adding about Ronaldo: 'If I need him, he will play. If I don't need him, he won't play.'
At 41, Ronaldo announced in the summer that this season would likely be his last year in football. He is Portugal's top scorer and most capped player, having scored 146 goals in 234 matches.