Cristiano Ronaldo has left the Portugal national team camp in Copenhagen ahead of their Nations League match against Denmark. The 41-year-old captain's departure follows several days of tension with head coach Jorge Jesus and a series of missed team training sessions.
The friction began after Ronaldo was left on the bench during Portugal's 2-1 win over Norway on Sunday. Since then, the all-time leading scorer in men's international football has only performed gym work, missing three consecutive team practices. The situation escalated when Jorge Jesus announced that Ronaldo would not start in the upcoming match against Denmark.
While Coach Jorge Jesus has denied reports of a rift or feud between himself and the player, Ronaldo confirmed he walked out of the camp after learning he would be dropped. Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proença traveled to Copenhagen to ease the situation, but these efforts were unsuccessful. Ronaldo eventually announced his departure on Instagram and left Denmark on his private jet.
Ronaldo, who is pursuing a milestone of 1,000 career goals, stated that he will tell the truth about his reasons for leaving the national team and wished his teammates well. Having already missed the victory over Norway, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner will now miss the game against Denmark.