Cristiano Ronaldo delivers brutal Portugal ‘ultimatum’ following abrupt camp exit
Cristiano Ronaldo recently left a Portugal national team camp following an apparent disagreement with head coach Jorge Jesus -Credit:Octavio Passos/Getty Images
After warming the bench throughout Portugal’s recent 2-1 UEFA Nations League win against Norway, Cristiano Ronaldo abruptly left the game without acknowledging fans. Missing from a subsequent training session, a crisis meeting was then held between the 41-year-old head coach Jorge Jesus and the President of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF).
This meeting seemingly didn’t have the desired effect, with Ronaldo leaving camp immediately afterward, with two games still to go in Portugal’s extended international window, raising questions about his future.
Despite Jesus later stating that he was prepared to recall Ronaldo if he was willing to play, it appears this ‘let bygones be bygones’ sentiment isn’t shared by the Al-Nassr forward. According to ESPN, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is unwilling to represent his national team again should Jesus remain in his current role – although this has yet to be confirmed by the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star.
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Ronaldo supposedly will not return so long as Jesus remains head coach -Credit:Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey/Getty Images
News of Ronaldo’s apparent ultimatum just so happens to have landed on the same day that fellow soccer icon, Lionel Messi, is set to make his final appearance for Argentina in a friendly against Benin in Buenos Aires.
This all follows Ronaldo teasing an eventual public explanation of what led to his abrupt camp exit in a post on social media. “Following the National Team Coach’s press conference, and after a conversation with the President of the Portuguese Football Federation, I decided to leave the National Team’s training camp,” he wrote.
“In due course, I will tell the Portuguese people the truth about the reasons behind my departure from the national team, to which I have always been dedicated. Now is the time to wish good luck to Portugal and to all my teammates, without exception.”
His sister, Elma Aveiro, shared her stance on the matter on social media not long after her brother’s post, laying into national media as well as the national team. "CR7 deserved MORE RESPECT," she said. "The national team deserved more structure. Portuguese journalism deserved more competence and less speculation. As for the Portuguese people… they don’t deserve to have the best at anything.
"We are envious, disrespectful and ignorant, and we deserve to return to the mediocrity we always had in football before CR7. Thank you for everything, CR7. You deserved MORE!"
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Following Ronaldo’s departure from camp, Portugal beat Denmark 4-2 in Copenhagen, before returning home to complete the sweep of Norway, winning 2-1 once again despite Francisco Conceição’s late red card.
Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.