Ronaldo ends international career after collision with Jorge Jesus

Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, announced on Wednesday evening that he will not return to the Portuguese national team, according to the Portuguese outlet O Jogo. The superstar left Portugal’s training camp before the scheduled session, shortly after a press conference with national team coach Jorge Jesus.

Ronaldo's immediate departure

Ronaldo shortly afterwards posted a statement on Instagram in which he promised to tell all Portuguese the truth about the reasons for his departure. He wrote: “In the end I will tell all Portuguese the truth about the reasons why I have left the national team, to which I have always been devoted.”

According to O Jogo, the superstar’s international career is definitively over; he will not return. The media suspect that the Nations League match against Wales on September 24 will be Ronaldo’s last international.

Ronaldo leaves Copenhagen camp and promises to reveal the truth

That match was his 234th appearance for Portugal; he debuted on 20 August 2003 and scored a total of 146 goals. With the national team he won the Nations League twice and Euro 2016 in France.

Latest incidents and career milestones

Ahead of the match against Denmark in Copenhagen, where Portugal was to play on Thursday, Ronaldo left the Parken stadium in a federal bus and then boarded his private jet to Madrid, where he would spend the next few hours. Earlier in the week he had been on the bench as a substitute against Norway and left the dressing room immediately after the final whistle, without greeting the supporters.

Benchwarmer Ronaldo leaves Portugal before Nations League duel

Jorge Jesus had during the press conference preceding the clash with Denmark indicated that he still wanted to field Ronaldo, but the striker said he no longer had any desire to play for Portugal. The rift between the player and the national team coach marks a dramatic end to a period in which Ronaldo had been the driving force of the national team for years.