Cristiano Ronaldo misses Portugal training before Nations League tie

Cristiano Ronaldo has missed Portugal’s scheduled training session before the Nations League match against Denmark, extending the dispute surrounding his role in the national team. The 41-year-old captain was expected to train normally on Wednesday, but left the team’s base shortly before his teammates began their work on the pitch.

The departure came only minutes after coach Jorge Jesus had addressed the situation in a press conference. Jesus said there was no conflict between himself and Ronaldo, despite the player’s disappointment at being left out of Portugal’s victory over Norway on Sunday. The coach also indicated that Ronaldo would not start against Denmark, but suggested the decision was sporting rather than disciplinary.

Ronaldo’s movements created a fresh sequence of confusion. He was seen at the training venue roughly 30 minutes before the session, where he held a brief conversation with Jesus. He then returned to the players’ hotel instead of joining the group. As the other Portugal players went onto the pitch, Ronaldo left in a federation vehicle. A private aircraft linked to him was also reported to be preparing to fly from Madrid to Copenhagen.

The circumstances of the early departure were not explained. Portugal’s federation had previously indicated that Ronaldo’s absence from part of the team’s work was connected to the facilities available for individual training. The club ground used by the squad did not have the equipment required for his personal programme, according to that explanation. On Wednesday, however, he had been expected to take part in the normal team session rather than continue with individual exercises.

Jesus had offered a different explanation for Ronaldo’s absence from training on Tuesday. He said the captain had not refused to train, as had been suggested, but had completed exercises focused on mobilisation and physical strengthening. That distinction became significant after Ronaldo was again absent from the group session despite the coach’s public attempt to calm the situation.

The tension began after Portugal’s 2-1 win in Oslo. Jesus told Ronaldo before the match that he would not start but could be used later in the game. Ronaldo was ultimately not introduced, marking the first time in 18 years that he had been left on the bench without entering a Portugal match, according to the details surrounding the incident. At the final whistle, he went directly to the dressing room and did not join his teammates in greeting the Portuguese supporters in the stands.

Jesus said he had decided not to send Ronaldo onto the pitch and described the choice as a normal coaching decision. “After, as a coach, I decided that he would not come on. There is no reason to make an incident out of it,” he said. He also acknowledged that Ronaldo had been disappointed by the decision. The coach’s comments were intended to draw a line under the episode, but the captain’s departure before training produced another public flashpoint.

Portugal’s preparation for Denmark is therefore being shaped as much by Ronaldo’s status as by the match itself. Nineteen Portuguese players took part in the session, while João Félix and Francisco Conceição were absent as planned. Ronaldo’s exclusion from the training group leaves Jesus with another immediate decision over how to use the country’s most prominent player, whose influence has traditionally extended beyond his position on the pitch.

The Denmark fixture is scheduled for Thursday at 20:45. Jesus has already made clear that Ronaldo is not expected to start, while the player’s departure means his involvement in the match has become uncertain. Portugal now has to manage the sporting consequences of a change in Ronaldo’s role alongside the attention generated by his reaction to it. No further explanation for his early departure had been given by the time the team completed its session.