Cristiano Ronaldo has left Portugal’s national team camp in Denmark and vowed to reveal the reasons behind his departure, amid reports of tensions with head coach Jorge Jesus.
Ronaldo was reportedly unhappy after being left on the bench for Portugal’s Nations League victory over Norway on Sunday.
The 41-year-old did not feature in the match, with his replacement, Gonçalo Ramos, scoring for Portugal.
Jesus, who previously coached Ronaldo at Al Nassr, denied any fallout between the two and said there had been “no incident whatsoever”.
He had indicated that Ronaldo was expected to return to training ahead of Thursday’s Nations League meeting with Denmark in Copenhagen.
However, Ronaldo did not take part in Portugal’s training sessions following the Norway match and has now left the squad.
In a statement, Ronaldo said his decision followed Jesus’ press conference and a conversation with the president of the Portuguese Football Federation.
“After the National Team Coach's press conference, and following a conversation with the President of the Portuguese Football Federation, I made the decision to leave the National Team camp,” Ronaldo said.
He added that he would explain his reasons “in due time”, saying he would tell the Portuguese people the truth about his decision.
“Now is the time to wish good luck to Portugal and to all my teammates, without exception,” he said.
Ronaldo's departure comes after he admitted during the current international window that he had considered retiring from international football following criticism of his performance at the World Cup.
The veteran forward has scored 146 goals in 234 appearances for Portugal over a 23-year international career.
He has also been pursuing a personal target of reaching 1,000 career goals, with his tally currently standing at 979.
His latest decision to leave the camp raises uncertainty over his future with the national team and whether he will add to his record number of international appearances.
