Ronaldo leaves Portugal squad after conflict with coach Jesus

41-year-old forward of Saudi club Al-Nassr Cristiano Ronaldo has left Portugal's training camp in the Swedish city of Malmö, where the team is preparing for Thursday's match against Denmark. The national team captain announced his decision on Instagram after a press conference by coach Jesus and a conversation with federation president Pedro Proença.

What Ronaldo wrote

“After the national team coach's press conference and a conversation with federation president Pedro Proença, I have decided to leave the team's camp. When the time comes, I will tell everyone the truth about the reasons that led me to leave the national team, to which I have always fully committed myself. For now, I want to wish good luck to Portugal and to all my teammates, without exception,” Ronaldo wrote.

A tense relationship with the coach

Notably, the forward made his decision right after the press conference at which Jesus stated that there was “no problem at all” with the player. At the time it seemed the situation had been resolved, but the relationship between the coach and the captain has apparently remained tense: despite Jesus's assurances, Ronaldo skipped a training session, after which the coach announced that Gonçalo Ramos would start in Thursday's match. Portuguese media see the dispute over playing time as one of the main causes of the conflict, with the current international break including four matches for the first time.

On the bench in Oslo

Sunday's match against Norway was especially widely discussed: Jesus sent Ronaldo to warm up but never brought him on — for the first time in 18 years, the captain spent an entire national team match on the substitutes' bench. After the final whistle in Oslo, Ronaldo did not high-five his teammates or greet the fans who had travelled to the away game. His behaviour caused a stir, and Jesus promised to speak with the player, later saying that Ronaldo had been irritated but that the situation was resolved. As it turned out, that wasn't the case: the forward left the national team's camp in Malmö, and what consequences this will have will become clear later.

Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz