Ronaldo storms out as Jesus again favours Ramos for Denmark Nations League showdown

Copenhagen, October 1 — Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo departed from the national team's training camp in Denmark after coach Jorge Jesus informed reporters that the striker would be omitted from their upcoming match. Ronaldo had been scheduled to train with his teammates at Parken stadium in Copenhagen on Wednesday but abruptly left following Jesus's press conference.

The veteran coach had revealed that Ronaldo, who sat on the bench during Portugal's 2-1 victory over Norway on Sunday, would not feature in Thursday's Nations League encounter against Denmark. "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 shared on Instagram.

He pledged to later explain his reasons for leaving the national team, to which he has remained dedicated. Now is the moment to extend good wishes to Portugal and all his teammates, without exception. Earlier, Jesus expressed no rift between himself and Ronaldo, despite acknowledging the captain's disappointment at remaining on the bench during the win against Norway.

The news triggered a wave of memes on social media and strong criticism from Ronaldo's sister, Elma Aveiro. She expressed envy, scorn, and ignorance towards the Portuguese people on Instagram, claiming they were entitled to mediocrity. "There was no incident whatsoever," Jesus affirmed to reporters. He clarified that he had informed Ronaldo before the match that he would not start, but may come on towards the end.

Jesus also stated that Ronaldo had not refused to train on Tuesday, but had instead engaged in individual exercises for mobility and strengthening. The Portuguese federation confirmed Ronaldo's departure from the squad's training camp after Ronaldo's social media post. The federation assured that preparations for the two matches against Denmark and Norway would continue as planned with the remaining 24 squad members.