The leading Portuguese sports outlet reported Wednesday evening that Cristiano Ronaldo has made a definitive and irreversible decision: he no longer intends to play for the Portuguese national team.
The bombshell report came at the end of a pivotal day in the escalating dispute between CR7 and the Portugal camp.
Earlier in the day, Ronaldo’s coach, Jorge Jesus, had confirmed at a press conference that the forward was expected to take part in training. However, Ronaldo left Copenhagen’s stadium on Wednesday evening before Portugal’s pre-match session ahead of Thursday’s clash with Denmark.
The 41-year-old returned home on his private jet before eventually addressing the situation on his Instagram account.
Ronaldo had already been left on the bench for Portugal’s match against Norway on Sunday. After the final whistle, he headed straight to the dressing room without acknowledging the Portuguese supporters in attendance.
According to local reports, the veteran forward was reportedly unhappy with being left out of the starting lineup, particularly after Jesus had allegedly promised to bring him on during the match.