Cristiano Ronaldo misses Portugal training in Copenhagen as Jorge Jesus rejects claims he refused to train

Cristiano Ronaldo missed Portugal's final training session in Copenhagen on Wednesday ahead of their Nations League match against Denmark, the Portuguese Football Federation confirmed, while coach Jorge Jesus denied the forward had refused to train. A Bola posted a video that appeared to show Ronaldo leaving Copenhagen's Parken Stadium in an FPF vehicle.

The FPF confirmed to Reuters that Ronaldo did not take part in Wednesday's session, and Ronaldo's representatives were not immediately available for comment. A Bola said Ronaldo left shortly after Jesus had said the 41-year-old would take part in the session. Spanish outlet Marca reported that Ronaldo intended to board a private flight to Madrid in the coming hours.

Speaking at a press conference before Wednesday's session, Jesus dismissed suggestions of a refusal and urged reporters not to manufacture controversy. "He didn't refuse. He's going to train today," said Jesus. "It's the fourth day, so he's going to train. And he didn't refuse to train. It's impossible. Do you believe that? Not Cris."

Jesus confirmed he had spoken with Ronaldo about the matter and said the discussion had been forced on him. "They forced me to talk to Cris about an issue that didn’t exist. There was nothing to talk about," Jesus said, adding that Ronaldo told him, "I’m here for you to decide. If you want me to play, I’ll play. If you want me to go to the stands, I’ll go'."

Ronaldo did not feature in Portugal’s 2-1 win over Norway on Sunday after Jesus told him he would come off the bench but ultimately decided against bringing him on. The forward worked in the gym rather than with the rest of the squad on Monday and Tuesday, despite not being injured.

Portuguese Football Federation President Pedro Proenca travelled to Copenhagen on Tuesday; A Bola reported Proenca had changed his plans and gone to Denmark to meet Jesus and Ronaldo before Portugal's Nations League match. Ronaldo told a press conference last week that media had been trying to "kill" him for years, and said that he could leave "today" if the manager did not want him in the squad.

Portugal are due to play Denmark in a Nations League match on Thursday, with the build-up to that fixture including the FPF president's trip to Copenhagen and the dispute over Ronaldo's participation in training.