Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has walked out of the team hotel in Copenhagen in protest and flown to Madrid on a private jet. The 41-year-old forward's frustration boiled over after manager Jorge Jesus left him on the bench for the full 90 minutes of Portugal's 2-1 UEFA Nations League win over Norway. "Following the national team manager's press conference, and after a conversation with the President of the Portuguese Football Federation, I decided to leave the national team's training camp," Ronaldo wrote on Instagram. "In due course, I will tell the Portuguese people the truth."
Jesus had flatly denied any rift at that very press conference, insisting there had been no conflict and that tactical decisions are his alone. With Ronaldo gone, Rafael Leao will wear the No 7 shirt against Denmark. Ronaldo has 146 goals in 234 appearances for Portugal and sits just 21 short of 1,000 career goals. Yet his walkout has cast serious doubt over whether he will ever pull on a Portugal shirt again.
