Cristiano Ronaldo leaves Portugal camp after reported row with Jorge Jesus

Cristiano Ronaldo has left Portugal’s training camp in Denmark just one week after saying he would walk away from the national team if his presence was no longer useful or began causing problems.

Ronaldo departed before Portugal’s match against Denmark tomorrow, following a reported disagreement with head coach Jorge Jesus. Jesus denied there was any dispute with the forward during a news conference on the day of Ronaldo’s departure.

However, the manager confirmed Ronaldo would not start the match and said he would not change his tactical decisions for any player or federation president.

The decision comes seven days after Ronaldo appeared at a news conference before Portugal’s match against Wales on Wednesday, 23 September. At that event, he said he was prepared to leave the national team immediately if he believed he was no longer contributing.

“I can leave today, and there is no problem. It is the same for the president of the federation,” Ronaldo said.

He added: “When they no longer want to rely on me in the national team, I will be the first to say, in a conversation between us, when I feel that my presence here is no longer useful and that I am no longer contributing anything on the pitch, not scoring goals, or creating a negative atmosphere, or that they do not want me here.

“I will be the first to say it. I will pack my bag and leave.”

Ronaldo has now left the Portugal camp after only one week, amid reports that he could announce his retirement from international football in the coming hours.

The circumstances surrounding his departure have prompted speculation over whether the move represents a temporary decision linked to his omission from the starting line-up or the beginning of the end of his international career.

Jesus’s comments indicated that Ronaldo’s absence from the starting team was a footballing decision. The manager also made clear that neither the player’s status nor the position of the federation president would influence his selection choices.

Portugal had been preparing in Denmark for the upcoming fixture when Ronaldo left the camp. No further details were given about the reported disagreement between the player and Jesus, but Ronaldo’s departure has immediately raised questions about his future with the national side.