Why Cristiano Ronaldo Walked Out On Portugal

OSLO, NORWAY - 2026/09/27: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) seen during UEFA Nations League 2026 football match between Norway vs Portugal at Ullevaal Stadion (Oslo).Final Score: Norway 1:2 Portugal. (Photo by Grzegorz Wajda/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has become an iconic representative for Portugal over the past two decades, but that chapter could be coming to a close after a controversial falling out with national team coach Jorge Jesus.

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The 41-year-old striker left Portugal’s training camp in Copenhagen on Wednesday, the day before a UEFA Nations League match against Denmark, and while he has not confirmed that he has retired from international soccer, he has not given his reasons either.

In a post on Instagram, the veteran said he made the decision after head coach Jorge Jesus’ press conference and a conversation with Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) president Pedro Proença. He said he would tell the Portuguese people “the truth” about his reasons in due course.

The FPF confirmed his departure in a short statement, indicating that Ronaldo will miss Thursday’s match against Denmark and the home fixture against Norway on October 4.

It all stems from Ronaldo not being given game time and staying on the bench in the country’s 2-1 win over Norway on Sunday evening. The public statements from the past week already show that he and coach Jesus disagree about what he was promised before the game in Oslo.

How the fall-out with Cristiano Ronaldo happened

Jorge Jesus was appointed to replace Roberto Martínez after a failed World Cup campaign in the summer, and joined fresh from working with Cristiano at Al Nassr. He named Ronaldo in his first squad on September 18 and said the forward would be judged on his performances, following strong criticism of his form as Portugal crashed out to Spain in the last 16.

Ronaldo started the UEFA Nations League opener against Wales, Jesus’ first game in charge, and had a goal disallowed before being substituted 67 minutes into a 1-0 win, with João Félix scoring the only goal.

However, the former Real Madrid star was an unused substitute for the full 90 minutes of the 2-1 win in Norway three days later. Gonçalo Ramos scored the winning goal after an error by goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland. Speculation emerged that Jesus had told Ronaldo to expect the final 30 minutes, and he had warmed up but was not brought on, and went directly to the dressing room at full time, not partaking in celebrations with his teammates in front of their fans.

The Al Nassr player then trained in the gym instead of with the squad on Monday and Tuesday. He and Jesus met at the team hotel in Malmö on Tuesday night, with Proença traveling to meet both men, with some initial reports claiming that the disagreement had been resolved.

On Wednesday Ronaldo missed training again. Portuguese media filmed him leaving the stadium in an FPF vehicle shortly before he posted his statement.

Jorge Jesus’ press conference

To zoom in on one key moment, Ronaldo’s statement mentions the press conference before it mentions his conversation with Proença, and he left the stadium minutes after Jesus finished speaking.

Jesus began by rejecting reports that Ronaldo had refused to train on Tuesday. “Yesterday he did not refuse to train,” he said. “Francisco Conceição didn’t train because he was injured, João Félix didn’t because we were trying to reduce his fatigue, and Cris did gym work. He will train today. It’s the fourth day, so he will train.”

He then explained the decision in Oslo. “I told Cris he wasn’t going to play these two games,” Jesus said. “The rights are the same for everyone, and as the coach I decided he wasn’t coming on.”

Asked about the promise of 30 minutes in Norway, Jesus said the choice was his alone. “I can promise whatever I want. I’m the coach. I’m the coach, and I told the player he wasn’t going to play. I’ll take you to the bench. If I need you for 30 minutes you’ll play, and if not, you won’t play,” he explained. “No player is ever going to change my ideas. Not him, not anyone in football. Not any president. Never, zero.”

Jesus accepted that Ronaldo’s standing in the game changes how a coach should handle him, but only before kick-off. “Status allows a player, because of his past, to have the coach take care over decisions before a game happens,” he recognized. “Once the game is under way, it’s the same thing. The coach has to decide, and he always decides based on what is best for the team. And I always respect the players.”

He played down Proença’s trip to Denmark by explaining that, “the president came, obviously, as he has to be here with the team, but after dinner we had already solved the problem, which wasn’t a problem”.

Jesus admitted one mistake. “No player is happy when they warm up for 20 or 30 minutes and then don’t get played,” he said. “That’s where I made a mistake. I should have had him warm up about 15 minutes later.” He also acknowledged that Ronaldo had been angry with him, but said that for him the matter was in the past.

Defender Rúben Dias, who sat beside Jesus in the press conference, called Ronaldo’s reaction in Oslo “a moment of frustration that lasts 10, 15 or 20 seconds”.

The commercial impact for Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo’s income comes mostly from Al Nassr. Forbes named him the world’s highest-paid athlete for the fourth year in a row in 2026, with estimated earnings of €263 million ($300 million), estimating that €206 million ($235 million) came from his club and €57 million ($65 million) came from off-field income, with Nike and Binance among his sponsors.

Portugal’s matches give Ronaldo regular games against top European opposition, which Al Nassr cannot provide, and boost his reputation even at the age of 41.

The FPF also has a lot at stake. Ronaldo is Portugal’s captain, its most-capped player with 234 appearances and its record scorer with 146 goals. A public dispute with him during the new coach’s first international window creates a problem for the federation, who have benefitted from Ronaldo’s reputation and pull with fans and sponsors alike.

Is this definitive for Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo?

The team captain’s statement does not announce his retirement from international soccer. He wished Portugal and his teammates luck “without exception”, and he said he would explain his reasons at a later date.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been dropped by Portugal before. Fernando Santos left him out of the starting lineup for the round of 16 against Switzerland at the 2022 World Cup, and Ramos scored a hat-trick in the 6-1 win. The FPF later denied reports that Ronaldo had threatened to leave the squad in Qatar, and he stayed for the quarter-final against Morocco. On this occasion, it may not work out so smoothly.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

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