Cristiano Ronaldo walks out on Portugal and says he will explain why 'in time'

Cristiano Ronaldo abruptly departed Portugal's international team before a match against Denmark, citing his intention to explain his reasons at a later date. Portuguese newspaper A Bola shared a video appearing to capture Ronaldo exiting Copenhagen's Parken Stadium in an FPF vehicle, shortly after Coach Jorge Jesus declared him to participate in a training session.

Spanish outlet Marca indicated Ronaldo planned to fly privately to Madrid within the coming hours. FPF subsequently confirmed Ronaldo's departure, emphasizing that preparations for the two Denmark and Norway games continued unabated with the 24 squad members remaining. The team delegation expressed their dedication to the upcoming fixtures and their pursuit of set goals.

Ronaldo did not feature in Portugal's 2-1 Nations League victory over Norway on Sunday; instead, he opted to work out at the gym, seemingly unhappy with the manager. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner later shared his decision via Instagram, promising to reveal the true reasons behind his withdrawal in due course. Ronaldo wished his teammates success in their forthcoming games.

Alleged tensions between Ronaldo and Jesus surfaced just months after the duo aided Al Nassr in securing the Saudi Pro League title. Jorge Jesus dismissed any discord, stating Ronaldo would train, contradicting Ronaldo's claims of a rift. Jesus claimed he only spoke to Ronaldo to allow him to decide whether to play or remain on the sidelines.

FPF President Pedro Proenca altered his itinerary and journeyed to Denmark to meet with both Jesus and Ronaldo prior to Portugal's Nations League encounter there on Thursday. Ronaldo, Portugal's leading goal scorer with 146 goals and their most-capped player with 234 appearances, declared last week that media attempts to "kill" him had persisted for years, asserting his readiness to depart immediately if Jesus didn't include him in the squad.

He also hinted at retiring from international football following the 2022 World Cup, aiming to reach 1,000 career goals, currently totaling 979.