Breaking: the rebellion continues: Ronaldo leaves training in response to Jesus's comments

A controversial move from Don: the crisis ignites

Cristiano Ronaldo missed Portugal training for the third day running, a fresh twist that ratchets up the tension inside the national team camp just minutes after coach Jorge Jesus had confirmed the captain would take part in the session in Copenhagen.

According to the Portuguese newspaper "A Bola", Ronaldo left the Parken stadium in the Danish capital on Wednesday in a car belonging to the Portuguese Football Federation, just as all of his teammates bar Francisco Conceição began to make their way onto the pitch.

Jesus's comments ignited the situation

His exit came barely minutes after the press conference before the match against Denmark, where Jesus confirmed the 41-year-old striker would train but hinted he could remain out of the line-up.

Jesus said: "Yesterday, he did not refuse to train. Francisco Conceição did not train because he was injured, and João Félix because we were trying to ease his fatigue, while Cristiano did some work in the gym. Today he will train. It is the fourth day, and so he will train."

The Portuguese coach also addressed his decision over Ronaldo's role, insisting that he alone has the final say on the line-up.

"I can promise what I want. I am the coach," he said. "I told the player that he would not start the match, and that he would be on the bench. If I need him for 30 minutes then he will play, and if I do not need him then he will not play. There is no player who will change my ideas, not him nor anyone else in football, not even any president, that will never happen."

Jesus also revealed that Gonçalo Ramos will start against Denmark.

A new absence

Tuesday in Malmö had been different. Ronaldo appeared on the pitch and stayed for several minutes before training got under way. This time, the captain never went up.

Instead, Ronaldo returned to the national team's residence in a Federation car. The Federation had earlier confirmed the gym at the Malmö stadium lacked the special equipment needed for his training programme, which sent him back to the hotel.

No official explanation has yet come from the Portuguese Federation for Ronaldo's absence from Wednesday's training, despite Jesus confirming his participation only minutes earlier.

João Félix was the most notable of those back in the fold on the eve of the Denmark match, a session watched from the stands by Federation president Pedro Proença.

Jesus, by contrast, ruled Francisco Conceição out of the game against Denmark in the third round of the UEFA Nations League.

What is the cause of the crisis?

The roots of it trace back to how Ronaldo's involvement against Norway was handled. The captain sat on the bench for the entire match, despite Jesus saying beforehand that he would feature even if he did not start.

After the win, Ronaldo headed straight for the changing room and skipped the following day's session with the rest of the substitutes on the pitch.

The next day, he did make his way to the Eleda stadium and stepped onto the pitch alone, only to leave shortly afterwards. The Portuguese Federation say he returned to the hotel because the equipment for his tailored training programme was not available in the stadium's gym.

Amid all this, Pedro Proença tore up his plans. He skipped the under-21 team's match and flew out to Denmark once more for an urgent meeting with Jesus and Ronaldo.

That meeting took place on Wednesday morning at the hotel where Portugal are staying in Malmö, and was described as calm and friendly.

Jesus and Ronaldo had already sat down on Tuesday evening to exchange views, an effort to contain the situation and douse the tension that had followed the Norway match.