Cristiano Ronaldo has left Portugal's training camp in Copenhagen, a day before the team's Nations League match away to Denmark, after coach Jorge Jesus said the 41-year-old captain would not start. Ronaldo announced his decision on Instagram, saying he acted after Jesus's press conference and a conversation with Pedro Proença, president of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). He promised to tell the Portuguese public "the truth" about his reasons "in due course", and wished Portugal and his teammates, "without exception", good luck.
The departure followed days of mounting tension. Ronaldo spent the whole of Sunday's 2-1 win over Norway on the bench, and walked straight to the dressing room at the final whistle without joining teammates in acknowledging the travelling fans. Jesus said he had told Ronaldo before the game that he would probably come on late, even letting him warm up, but later decided against it. Reports said Ronaldo worked in the gym rather than with the squad on Monday and Tuesday, though he was not injured. Jesus denied that Ronaldo had refused to train, saying he needed individual work on mobility and strength. Footage shared by Portuguese media, including the newspaper A Bola, appeared to show Ronaldo leaving Parken stadium with staff shortly after the press conference. Reuters reported that his private jet was scheduled to fly from Madrid to Copenhagen and back the same evening.
Jesus, 72, who coached Ronaldo at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia before taking the Portugal job, insisted there was no rift. "There was no incident whatsoever," he said, adding that no player is happy after warming up and not playing. He said the decision was his alone: "I can promise what I want, I'm the coach." For Thursday he planned to start Gonçalo Ramos, who scored the winner against Norway, and said Ronaldo would play only if needed. The FPF confirmed that Ronaldo had left and said preparations would continue with the remaining 24 players.
The episode matters because of Ronaldo's standing in the game. He is Portugal's record scorer, with 146 goals, and its most-capped player, with 234 appearances. He said this summer that this season would probably be his last in football. It also poses an early test for Jesus, only two matches into his tenure after replacing Roberto Martínez following Portugal's disappointing World Cup. Last week Ronaldo said the media had tried to "kill" him for years and that he could leave "today" if the coach did not want him. Whether his departure ends his international career has not been stated by Ronaldo or the federation.