Cristiano Ronaldo is no longer with the Portugal squad. On Wednesday, a few hours after head coach Jorge Jesus told a press conference that the 41-year-old would not start against Denmark, Ronaldo announced on social media that he had left the training camp.
"After the press conference of the national team, and following a conversation with the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, I have made the decision to leave the national team training camp," he wrote. "In due course, I will tell all the Portuguese people the truth about the reasons that led me to leave."
The Portuguese Football Federation confirmed his departure and said the squad would continue its preparations with the 24 players who remained. Marca reported that Ronaldo flew to Madrid on a private jet.
How it started in Oslo
The trouble began on Sunday. Portugal beat Norway 2-1 in the Nations League, and Ronaldo, who had been warmed up on the touchline, was never brought on. According to ESPN he did not train with the group in the days that followed. Jesus disputed that, saying Ronaldo had done individual work on mobility and strengthening.
At Wednesday's press conference Jesus confirmed that Gonçalo Ramos would lead the line in Copenhagen. He accepted that warming a player up and then leaving him on the bench hurts. "Any player would be upset about that," he said. "I planned to use him, but the circumstances weren't right for him to be introduced during that game."
He was equally clear about where the authority sits. "It seems like there was an issue between us, but there was no issue," Jesus said. "The rules are the same for everyone. I'm the one who makes the decisions and everybody knows that."
The relationship
The two know each other well. Jesus coached Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, where they won the Saudi Pro League last season, and he took over Portugal after Roberto Martínez left following the last-16 defeat to Spain at the World Cup. Ronaldo was named in his first squad for this Nations League window, the start of the cycle towards 2030.
Portugal did not miss a beat
On Thursday night at Parken, with Rafael Leão wearing the number 7, Portugal beat Denmark 4-2. João Cancelo opened the scoring after 13 minutes, Mikkel Damsgaard equalised on 23 and Ramos restored the lead two minutes later. Rasmus Højlund made it 2-2 early in the second half before Vitinha (67) and João Félix (87) settled it.
That is three wins from three for Jesus and Portugal sit top of their Nations League group. The window closes on Sunday, 4 October, when Norway visit Porto.
What comes next
Ronaldo has 146 goals in 234 appearances for Portugal, the men's international record, and is still chasing 1,000 career goals. Neither he nor the federation has said his international career is over. For now there is a statement, a promise of an explanation, and a team that has just shown it can win without him.
