Cristiano Ronaldo’s sudden departure from Portugal’s training camp has escalated into a national issue, with Prime Minister Luis Montenegro contacting Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proenca to arrange a meeting with manager Jorge Jesus.
Ronaldo left the camp on Wednesday, just a day before Portugal’s third-round Nations League match against Denmark on Thursday evening. His departure has dominated coverage in the Portuguese media and left an atmosphere of tension around the national team.
The dispute began after Ronaldo was left on the substitutes’ bench for the whole of Portugal’s previous Nations League match against Norway, which ended in a 2-1 victory. The decision reportedly angered the Al-Nassr captain.
Ronaldo then refused to take part in training following the Norway game. However, he held talks with Jesus and the situation initially appeared to have been resolved between the pair.
The situation changed after Jesus spoke at his pre-match news conference ahead of the Denmark fixture. The Portugal manager said no player would change his ideas, and that no other person in football would do so either.
Ronaldo subsequently left the Portugal camp and travelled to Madrid.
Portuguese newspaper Record reported on Thursday afternoon that the dispute had reached the highest levels of the country’s political establishment. It said Montenegro had spoken to Proenca about setting up a meeting with Jesus following Ronaldo’s departure.
According to Record, the prime minister wants to speak to Jesus because of the strong relationship between the two men.
Portuguese broadcaster SIC also reported that Montenegro had spoken directly to Ronaldo about the matter.
