Cristiano Ronaldo has left Portugal’s national team camp in Denmark and says he will eventually explain the reasons behind his decision, adding uncertainty to his international future.The 41 yearold forward announced his departure on Wednesday, shortly after Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus addressed reports of tension between the pair.
Ronaldo had been an unused substitute during Portugal’s 2-1 Nations League victory over Norway on Sunday. Jesus, who previously coached Ronaldo at Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr, had earlier denied that there had been a disagreement between them.
“There was no incident whatsoever,” Jesus said, insisting that Ronaldo was expected to return to training with his teammates ahead of Thursday’s Nations League match against Denmark.
However, Ronaldo later confirmed on Instagram that he had left the team’s training camp following a conversation with the president of the Portuguese Football Federation.
He said he would reveal the reasons behind his decision “in due course” and wished Portugal and his teammates success.
Ronaldo had not trained with the Portugal squad since the Norway match and had instead been working in the gym.
Disagreement over Norway match
Jesus said Ronaldo had initially been expected to feature against Norway but that he changed his plans because of the circumstances of the match.
“I’m the one who makes the decisions,” Jesus said. “No player will ever make a decision for me.”
Ronaldo started Portugal’s Nations League campaign against Wales last Thursday but was substituted in the second half after a difficult outing. He missed several chances and had a goal ruled out following a VAR review.
His appearance against Wales was his 234th for Portugal, extending his record as the country’s most capped player.
Portugal will face Denmark in Copenhagen on Thursday without Ronaldo. Rafael Leão is expected to wear the No. 7 shirt in his absence.
Questions over Ronaldo’s international future
Ronaldo’s departure has raised questions about whether he will continue adding to his record number of appearances for Portugal.
Across a 23 year international career, he has scored 146 goals in 234 appearances, making him Portugal’s all time leading goalscorer and most capped player.
The forward has previously spoken about his international future and acknowledged that retirement had crossed his mind following criticism of his performance at the World Cup.
Ronaldo also remains focused on reaching 1,000 career goals. He currently has 979 goals across club and international football, meaning he is 21 goals short of the milestone.
For now, however, Ronaldo’s decision to leave Portugal’s camp has placed the spotlight firmly on his relationship with the national team and its new coach.
His promise to eventually explain what happened has left Portuguese football fans waiting for his version of events.
