Ronaldo leaves Portugal camp amid reports of rift with coach Jorge Jesus

Cristiano Ronaldo left Portugal's national team training camp on Wednesday, hours after coach Jorge Jesus said he was not planning to start him in Thursday's Nations League match against Denmark in Copenhagen, according to Reuters, the BBC, ESPN and Al Jazeera. The departure came after days of speculation over tension between the 41-year-old forward and Jesus, following Ronaldo's absence from Portugal's 2-1 win over Norway on Sunday and his refusal to join teammates in greeting fans afterward, the BBC reported. Ronaldo is Portugal's record goalscorer with 146 goals and most-capped player with 234 appearances, and he has said he is chasing 1,000 career goals, according to the BBC and ESPN.

Ronaldo announced his exit on Instagram, writing that he was leaving "after the press conference of the national team, and following a conversation with the president of the Portuguese Football Federation," as quoted by ESPN. He added that he would later tell Portuguese fans the full truth about why he left, and wished his teammates luck "without exception," per ESPN.

Jesus had earlier denied any rift, saying Ronaldo had not refused to train and that such a claim was impossible to believe, according to Al Jazeera. He also said, per the BBC, "There was no incident whatsoever," and acknowledged it was a mistake to warm Ronaldo up for 20 to 30 minutes against Norway without bringing him on, adding "no-one is happy about that."

Jesus confirmed he met with Ronaldo over the dispute but insisted there was nothing to resolve. He said, according to Al Jazeera, that he had been forced to discuss an issue with Ronaldo that did not exist, and that Ronaldo had told him he was ready to play or sit on the bench, whichever the coach decided. Federation president Pedro Proença traveled to Copenhagen and met with both men, Al Jazeera reported, citing Portuguese outlet A Bola.

Ronaldo did not train with the squad on Monday or Tuesday, working in the gym instead despite not being injured, Al Jazeera reported. Portuguese media showed him leaving Copenhagen's Parken Stadium in a federation vehicle, according to the BBC and Al Jazeera, and Spanish outlet Marca reported he intended to board a private flight to Madrid, per Al Jazeera. The Portuguese squad later arrived at its hotel without Ronaldo or Jesus, with both men's whereabouts unknown, Al Jazeera reported.

The Portuguese Football Federation confirmed Ronaldo's departure, saying preparations for matches against Denmark and Norway would continue with the 24 remaining squad members and that "the entire delegation remains totally focussed on the national team's next fixtures and on achieving the established objectives," per the BBC. Goncalo Ramos, who scored the winner against Norway, was set to again start ahead of Ronaldo against Denmark, with Jesus saying, "If I need [Ronaldo], he'll come on. If I don't need him, he won't," the BBC reported. ESPN noted it was not immediately clear whether Ronaldo's absence would extend beyond the current international break, and that the news came as rival Lionel Messi prepares for his farewell match with Argentina next week.