Cristiano Ronaldo left the Portuguese national team's camp in Denmark on Wednesday afternoon, an action interpreted in Portugal as the end of his representative career. Ronaldo had travelled to Denmark with the squad but, following comments from coach Jorge Jesus, left the stadium and returned to the hotel, where he collected his belongings and requested that his private jet, located in Madrid, travel immediately to Copenhagen.
The aircraft landed in the Danish capital at 22:15, before taking off for Madrid at 23:35. Coach Jorge Jesus and the Portuguese Football Federation president rushed to the airport in an attempt to dissuade Ronaldo from leaving and to keep him with the rest of the squad. As reported by Marca, 'it was a last-minute attempt, but it failed'. Ronaldo did not accept their arguments, boarded the aircraft and left them at the airport. Fabrizio Romano announced late at night that Ronaldo's plane had landed in Madrid at 2 a.m. and added that the player had definitively withdrawn from the national team.
The tensions began after the match against Norway in Oslo on Sunday, which Portugal won 2-1. Jesus had left Ronaldo on the bench during the entire match in the Nations League, and at one point, the player was sent to warm up. After the final whistle, he immediately went to the locker room and did not stay on the pitch with the rest of the team to greet the Portuguese fans. For the following days, he did not train with the squad.
The coach previously stated that there were no issues between them, but he announced that Ronaldo would not start the match against Denmark, and it is expected that Gonçalo Ramos will lead the attack. Jesus admitted that he made a mistake by allowing Ronaldo to warm up for so long and emphasised that the coach makes the squad decisions. At the press conference, he stated: 'In this team, I am in charge.'
Before the flight, Ronaldo confirmed that he was leaving the national team camp, after missing the training. 'After the coach's press conference and speaking with the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, I made the decision to leave the national team,' Ronaldo said. 'When the right time comes, I will tell everyone the truth about the reasons for leaving the national team, to which I have always been completely devoted. Now is the time to wish Portugal and all my teammates, without exception, the best of luck.'
Ronaldo has played for Portugal since 2003, accumulating 234 caps and 16 goals, holding the record for the most caps and goals for Portugal. According to reports in Portuguese media, he was to travel to Madrid by private jet after leaving the camp. His statement refers to leaving the current national team gathering, not a final retirement from the national team.
