Cristiano Ronaldo left the Portugal national team camp on Wednesday, ahead of a Nations League match. According to sources reported by L’Equipe, the president of the Portuguese federation and the coach tried to convince him to stay, but to no avail.
Portugal will face Denmark on Thursday in the third round of the Nations League. As the team was preparing to start training on Wednesday, the Al Nassr forward (Saudi Pro League) returned to the hotel before heading to the airport where his private jet was waiting. Although no official statement has been made regarding the reasons for his departure, it appears the player was unsettled by comments from his coach. “It is true that I had agreed this with him, but not just with him, we had devised a plan, as I did with Bruno Fernandes. I had informed Cris that he would not play the matches in Norway and Denmark,” the Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus said at a press conference. “He wouldn’t play because I’ve worked with him for a year, I know his physical condition perfectly. I was already doing this in Saudi Arabia, when there were matches every three days: Cris rarely played consecutively. He never trains the first or second day after a match. Never,” he stated.
Informed of the situation, Jesus and Pedro Proença, president of the Portuguese Football Federation, went to the airport but were unable to convince the player to change his mind.
This situation already anticipates a possible end to the international career of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner. Although the former Manchester United and Real Madrid player has not yet made any official announcement regarding this matter.
