Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly left Portugal’s training camp in Copenhagen ahead of the national team’s Nations League clash, amid growing speculation over tensions with head coach Jorge Jesus.
According to reports by Marca and OneFootball, the Portugal captain was seen leaving Parken Stadium in a black van shortly after Jesus had told reporters that the forward would take part in Wednesday’s training session.
Ronaldo’s departure comes days after he was left on the bench for Portugal’s 2-1 Nations League victory over Norway.
Joao Felix and Goncalo Ramos were selected to start, while Ronaldo remained on the bench throughout the 90 minutes.
The decision appeared to frustrate the veteran forward, who reportedly went straight to the dressing room after the final whistle.
Jesus subsequently acknowledged that he had mishandled Ronaldo’s warm-up during the match, saying he should have delayed asking the forward to prepare for a potential appearance.
“That’s where I made a mistake; I should have had him warm up about 15 minutes later. I didn’t know what was going to happen, I started watching the game, and I didn’t bring him on,” Jesus explained.
The manager also said there had been an understanding that Ronaldo would not feature in Portugal’s first two matches, but his decision to send the forward out to warm up during the Norway game contributed to the frustration.
The situation reportedly became serious enough for Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proenca to hold an emergency meeting involving Ronaldo and Jesus.
Jesus, however, rejected suggestions that Ronaldo had refused to train or rebelled against his authority.
“He didn’t refuse to train… Do you think a national team player would refuse to train?” he said.
The coach also insisted that he would remain in control of team selection and would not allow any player to dictate his decisions.
“No player will make me change my mind. Not him, not anyone in football. Not any president. Never, absolutely no one,” Jesus said.
Despite those assurances, reports of Ronaldo’s departure from the training camp have intensified speculation surrounding the relationship between the Portugal captain and his coach.
Ronaldo’s reported exit comes as Portugal prepare for their next Nations League fixture, with attention now focused on whether the forward will remain with the squad and feature in the upcoming match.
