Ronaldo leaves Portugal camp after coach plans to bench him
Cristiano Ronaldo has left Portugal's national team training camp ahead of Thursday's UEFA Nations League match against Denmark after coach Jorge Jesus indicated the 41-year-old captain would again be benched, with Ronaldo saying he will explain the reasons for his exit in due course.
Key Takeaways
- Ronaldo confirmed on Instagram that he left the Portugal camp after Jesus's press conference and a talk with the Portuguese Football Federation president.
- Jesus said Gonçalo Ramos would start against Denmark and that Ronaldo would only play if needed.
- The captain did not feature in Sunday's 2-1 win over Norway and had not trained with the full group since then.
- Jesus denied any rift, insisting there was "no incident" and that the rules are the same for everyone.
- Portugal lead Nations League Group A4 with six points from two matches before facing Denmark in Copenhagen.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner posted his decision shortly after Jesus told reporters he was not planning to start him in Copenhagen. In his statement, Ronaldo said he would tell the Portuguese people "the truth about the reasons" later and wished Portugal and his teammates good luck.
According to ESPN, Ronaldo did not practice Wednesday and left the stadium where the squad was preparing. Coverage across sport and culture hubs such as Future Tech & AI Wonders has tracked how quickly the story moved from rumor to confirmation.
Why did Ronaldo leave the Portugal camp?
Ronaldo said the exit followed the national team's press conference and a conversation with federation president Pedro Proença. He did not detail the dispute in the post, promising a fuller account "in due course."
The flashpoint traces to Sunday in Oslo. Ronaldo started Portugal's 1-0 win over Wales last Thursday but was unused in the 2-1 win against Norway. Jesus later said he had signaled Ronaldo might come on, then changed his mind—an outcome the coach admitted would upset "any player" after a long warm-up.
What has Jorge Jesus said about a rift with Ronaldo?
Jesus repeatedly denied a feud. "It seems like there was an issue between us, but there was no issue," he said, adding that he makes the decisions and everyone knows that. He also pushed back on reports that Ronaldo refused to train, saying the forward had done individual mobility and strength work and was expected to train Wednesday.
The Portuguese Football Federation confirmed to Reuters that Ronaldo did not take part in Wednesday's final session. Portuguese media shared video of him leaving Parken Stadium; Spanish outlet Marca reported he intended to board a private flight to Madrid.
Jesus, who previously coached Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, said they and Proença spoke but that there was "nothing to solve." He still named Ramos as the planned starter and said Ronaldo would play only if required.
What does this mean for Portugal against Denmark?
Portugal top Group A4 with six points, three clear of Denmark and Norway, and also host Norway on Sunday. Losing their record scorer—146 international goals and 234 caps—removes their most experienced option for Thursday's trip.
Ronaldo had considered stepping away after the summer World Cup before continuing his chase of 1,000 career goals. For now, he is out of camp, Jesus insists there is no "Ronaldo case," and the captain says the full story will come later.