"He left them at the airport and boarded the plane": Cristiano rejects the pleas of Jesus and the Portuguese Federation president before take-off
A failed attempt to end the crisis
A press report has revealed a fresh twist in the crisis surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo's exit from Portugal's training camp in Denmark, staged ahead of the clash between the two national teams today, Thursday.
Cristiano walked out minutes after Jorge Jesus, the Portugal manager, spoke at the press conference. Jesus insisted there was no crisis with Ronaldo, but confirmed he would not start today. He went further still, declaring he would not bend his tactical decisions for the sake of one player.
Across Portugal, many now believe this departure marks Cristiano Ronaldo's international retirement. Nothing is official as yet.
For 23 years Cristiano wore the shirt of the Portuguese national team, carrying the country's name high on the world stage and winning three titles: one European Championship and the UEFA Nations League twice.
The newspaper "Marca" said no one expected a success story like this to end this way. What should have been crowned with a huge celebration in a Portugal match and a majestic tribute instead finished in this cold and strange fashion, the details of which are still slowly unfolding.
Having arrived in Denmark with the rest of the squad, Cristiano Ronaldo left the pitch where he was preparing to train the moment he heard his coach's words. He headed to the hotel, grabbed his bag and summoned his private plane, which was in Madrid.
The plane landed in the Danish capital at around 10:15 pm Spanish time (11:15 Cairo and Mecca time), then took off again for Madrid an hour and 20 minutes later.
Ronaldo left. Two key figures stayed behind at the airport, having failed in a last-ditch attempt to convince the player to remain.
Jorge Jesus and Pedro Proenca, the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, accompanied Cristiano Ronaldo to the airport to try to keep him in Copenhagen with the rest of the team.
Despite their best efforts, the captain of the Portuguese national team refused their request, boarded the plane and left them standing there.
