COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The international future of Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo hung in the balance after the 41-year-old walked out on the squad when he learned that he would not start the game against Denmark on Thursday. Ronaldo announced late on Wednesday that he had left the team, shortly after a press conference in which coach Jorge Jesus confirmed the five-time Ballon d’Or winner would be left out of his starting line-up for a second consecutive Nations League game. The former Real Madrid forward had been due to train with his teammates at the Parken Stadium on the eve of the game, but walked out following the announcement by Jesus. “Following the national team coach’s press conference, and after having a conversation with the Portuguese Football Federation president, I decided to leave the national team’s training camp,” Ronaldo wrote on Instagram. He had already spent the entirety of Sunday’s 2-1 Nations League win in Norway on the bench, having captained the side in the 1-0 home victory over Wales last Thursday. Ronaldo appeared to indicate that the reasons behind Jesus’s decision ran deeper, and hinted at a departure from the national team he has graced for more than two decades. “In due course, I will tell the truth to all the Portuguese people about my reasons for leaving the national team, to which I have always been dedicated,” Ronaldo said. “Now is time to wish good luck to Portugal and to all my team-mates, without exception.” Spanish sports daily Marca said that Jesus and Portuguese federation president Pedro Proenca followed Ronaldo to Copenhagen airport in an attempt to persuade him to stay with the squad, before the player boarded his private jet. Jesus insisted earlier on Wednesday that there was no rift between him and Ronaldo, although the 72-year-old, who was appointed in July, acknowledged that his captain was disappointed to remain on the bench against Norway. The news sparked a wave of memes on social media and a furious backlash from Ronaldo’s sister, Elma Aveiro. “They don’t deserve to have the best of anything,” she said about the Portuguese people on Instagram. “We are envious, scornful, and ignorant, and we deserve to return to the mediocrity that defined us in the pre-CR7 era of football,” she added, using his nickname. ‘Nothing to make a fuss about’ The game in Oslo was the first time since November 2024 that Ronaldo had not featured for Portugal while not being either injured or suspended. “There was no incident whatsoever,” Jesus, who coached Ronaldo at Saudi club Al-Nassr for a year, insisted after that match. “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,” Jesus added on Wednesday. The Portuguese coach also said that he had told Ronaldo before the match that he might bring him on as a substitute. “Afterwards, as coach, I decided not to bring him on. It’s nothing to make a fuss about,” Jesus insisted. “Preparation for the two matches against Denmark and Norway... continue as planned with the 24 remaining squad members,” the Portuguese federation said after Ronaldo’s departure. “The entire delegation remains totally focused on the national team’s next fixtures and on achieving the established objectives.” Jesus declined to comment on the situation ahead of kick-off in Copenhagen on Thursday. “Today is match day. I want to focus on the match,” he told Portuguese broadcaster RTP, adding: “After that, we’ll definitely have time to talk about” the matter. There were reports that Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro had even discussed the issue of Ronaldo’s involvement with the coach on Wednesday. Jesus said earlier in the day that against Denmark he again intended to start AC Milan striker Goncalo Ramos, who scored the winner in Norway. Regarding Ronaldo, he said: “If I need him, he’ll come on. If I don’t need him, he won’t.” Ronaldo recently announced that this would “probably (be) my last year in football”. He is Portugal’s leading goalscorer and most capped player, with 146 goals in 234 appearances. The former Sporting, Manchester United, Real and Juventus striker made his international debut aged 18 in 2003 and played in the Euro 2004 final when Portugal lost to hosts Greece. He reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2006 and captained his country to glory at Euro 2016. Ronaldo and Portugal were eliminated by eventual winners Spain in the last 16 of this year’s World Cup.
