Cristiano Ronaldo walks out of Portugal camp

The 41-year-old forward left the Portugal camp on Wednesday after coach Jorge Jesus had told reporters at the Matchday-1 press conference that Cristiano Ronaldo would not feature in the starting lineup against Denmark in the Nations League.

The move comes amid reports of a rift between the Al-Nassr player and coach, something that Jesus denied.

The 72-year-old coach conceded that his captain had been disappointed to remain on the bench in Portugal's win over Norway on Sunday, but he insisted that there had been "no incident whatsoever."

Ronaldo didn't explain why he had taken the decision, but in an Instagram post he said that "in time" he would "tell the Portuguese people the truth about the reasons" behind his departure.

"Following the national team coach's news conference, and after a conversation with the president of the Portuguese football federation, I decided to leave the national team's training camp," he said, adding that he had always "dedicated" himself to the national team.

"Now is the time to wish good luck to Portugal and to all my teammates, without exception."

For its part, the Portuguese federation (FPF) confirmed that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner had left the camp and that the team's preparations for Thursday's match in Copenhagen would continue without him.

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