Cristiano Ronaldo has announced his exit from Portugal training camp and promised to give his reason for that “in due course.”
This followed a statement by the team’s head coach Jorge Jesus who had stated earlier that there was no misunderstanding with the captain of the team, amid the allegation that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner had refused to train.
Ronaldo previously claimed that he almost retired from international football after the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but chose to continue because he wanted to reach the milestone of scoring 1,000 goals in his career.
He is part of Jorge Jesus’ 25-member squad for the international break and played in the first Nations League match against Wales.
However, the Al-Nassr striker did not participate in Portugal’s 2-1 victory over Norway in Oslo last weekend and did not go to visit his supporters as his teammates did after the match.
Instead, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United striker went to the dressing room, and media reports indicated that he was dissatisfied with the coach.
Before the second Nations League match of Portugal against Denmark on Thursday, Jesus told media personnel that: “There was no incident whatsoever.”
“Any player – and I was a player myself – when you spend 20 or 30 minutes warming up and then don’t get on, no-one is happy about that.”
The former Al Nassr coach Jesus explained that he has communicated with Ronaldo over his bench role in Oslo.
“Afterwards, as coach, I decided not to bring him on. It’s nothing to make a fuss about,” he added.
Jesus also debunked the rumor making the rounds that Ronaldo had refused to train on Tuesday.
However, Ronaldo was not seen playing with his teammates in Denmark, as the Portuguese press released a video of him walking out of Parken Stadium with two members of the backroom staff.
Moreover, he announced his leaving through Instagram.
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“After the press conference of the national team and following a conversation with the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, I have decided to leave the national team training camp,” he wrote.
“In time, I will tell all the Portuguese the truth about the reasons that motivated me to leave.”
