Portugal FA seeks Cristiano Ronaldo's return after abrupt national team camp exit
The Portuguese Football Association wants Cristiano Ronaldo to return to the national squad after he abruptly left the team's training camp last Wednesday during the international break, Spanish daily MARCA reported. MARCA said it was the first outlet to reveal the striker’s departure from the camp.
MARCA reported that the dispute between national coach Jorge Jesus and Ronaldo escalated on Wednesday evening after Jesus held a news conference in which he said he 'had no difficulties with Ronaldo'. Following that briefing the forward departed the camp on his private aircraft, and O Jogo later reported that Cristiano Ronaldo announced he would leave the national team camp. Ronaldo told reporters that 'the truth' will come out later, according to the coverage cited by MARCA.
Portugal defeated Denmark 4-2 in what MARCA described as their third UEFA Nations League encounter of the international break. The match result followed the sequence of events around Ronaldo's departure, according to the report.
After the game Jorge Jesus told media there was no conflict among the squad members, the report said. Jesus's comment came amid continued public attention on the player's absence from the camp.
The Portuguese Football Federation, MARCA added, wants Ronaldo back in the national setup and is attempting to reconcile Jesus and CR7 so the forward may play his last match for Portugal. The federation said it is determined that Cristiano Ronaldo, the most productive goalscorer in international football and one of the most renowned names in Portuguese football history, deserves respect, dignity, and the opportunity to leave the sport on his terms.
Following Ronaldo’s departure the federation issued a statement that avoided addressing the incident directly and instead stressed preparations, saying: "The entire national team delegation continues its absolute focus on the national team’s upcoming commitments and achieving the set objectives." The statement came after reports of the player's exit from the camp.
Ronaldo has appeared on 234 occasions for Portugal and has scored 146 goals; he was part of the squad that won the European Championship in 2016. These career figures were cited in the coverage of the episode.
According to MARCA, the federation is actively seeking reconciliation between Jorge Jesus and Cristiano Ronaldo so the forward can return to the national squad and potentially play what the report described as his last match for Portugal.
