There were few answers on Thursday, a day after the all-time leading scorer in men’s international soccer decided to walk out on Portugal’s training camp in a decision announced a few hours after Jesus said the star forward would not start the game against Denmark in the Nations League. Cristiano Ronaldo’s abrupt decision to leave Portugal’s training camp after an apparent rift with coach Jorge Jesus has left many wondering about his future in international soccer. Is he done with Portugal? Or will he make peace with his coach and be back for the next international break?
Cristiano Ronaldo’s abrupt decision to leave Portugal’s training camp after an apparent rift with coach Jorge Jesus has left many wondering about his future in international soccer.
The federation also gave few details, saying only that Ronaldo left the training camp and the rest of the team would remain focused on Thursday’s game against Denmark. Many had been expecting Ronaldo to retire from the national team after the World Cup. Al-Nassr’s next match is Oct.
Because of the game’s circumstances, jesus admitted that he told Ronaldo that he would play at least a few minutes against Norway, but changed his mind. And while confirmed he wouldn’t appear at another World Cup, he vowed to continue playing and pursuing the milestone of 1,000 career goals. He currently stands at 979, with an international men’s record of 146 goals coming for Portugal. 9. Jesus, who coached Ronaldo at Al-Nassr last season when they won the Saudi Arabian league title together, took over from Roberto Martínez after Portugal’s round-of-16 elimination at the World Cup.
The 41-year-old Ronaldo, who played in his sixth World Cup this year, only said that in due course he would “tell the Portuguese people the truth about the reasons” behind his departure. The federation’s disciplinary regulations say that any player who “abandons or fails to appear” without justification at a training session, match or activity of the national teams, or any activity related to representing the federation, “shall be sanctioned with a suspension of one to six months,” in addition to a fine. Ronaldo recently said that this Saudi Pro League season is likely to be the last of his professional career. He said Wednesday in the pre-game news conference that he was not planning to start Ronaldo in the Nations League match against Denmark. But he dismissed the notion there was a feud between him and Ronaldo, and said the player told him that he would accept any decision he would make. He said he’s the one making the team choices and “no player will ever make a decision for me.”
