“I decided to leave after the press conference of Jesus and a conversation with the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, Pedro Proença,” the 41-year-old captain wrote on social media on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. He wished Portugal and his team-mates “without exception” good luck and said he would tell the country the reasons for his departure from the side to which he has always been dedicated “in due time.”

The Portuguese federation said Ronaldo had left the camp. The 29-year-old is therefore not available for Thursday’s UEFA Nations League encounter with Denmark.

Tension increased after Portugal’s 2-1 win over Norway on Sunday. Ronaldo sat on the bench. Earlier Jesus had told him the captain would not start but might come in later. Ronaldo warmed up for an extended period; the substitution never came. He didn't join team-mates in acknowledging supporters after the final whistle and has not trained with the group since, doing only gym work.

Jesus told reporters on Wednesday that there was “no issue”, that he makes the decisions and that Ronaldo would train. Local media then showed footage of Ronaldo driving away from Parken Stadium in a federation car shortly after he made the comments. He was said to have booked a private flight to Madrid.

Jesus later admitted his decision on using Ronaldo against Norway varied with how the game unfolded and that it was frustrating to have a player warming up for 20-30 minutes without using him. Yet he insisted there had not been an incident.

Ronaldo is Portugal’s all-time leading scorer with 146 international goals in 234 appearances. He is chasing 1,000 career goals for club and country and still plays for Al-Nassr. At 41 he is not guarantyd to start every fixture, especially in a compressed international window of four matches in 11 days. Jesus spoke of managing his minutes. The Norway decision, then the press-conference remarks, turned that sporting judgment into an open rupture.

Ronaldo has not yet told the full story he promised. Until that happens, it’s an episode of a historic figure still expecting to be at the center versus a coach asserting his authority on selection. Portugal now have to do without their captain and most recognizable player against Denmark.