There was uncertainty about Cristiano Ronaldo’s participation in Portugal’s Nations League match against Denmark on Thursday, after he missed team training sessions and local media reported the superstar was unhappy with coach Jorge Jesus.
Ronaldo, the all‑time leading scorer in men’s international soccer and chasing the 1,000‑goal milestone, sat on the bench in Portugal’s 2‑1 victory over Norway on Sunday. He has not practiced with the squad since then, doing only gym work, according to the federation.
Portuguese media said federation president Pedro Proença travelled to meet with Ronaldo and Jesus following reports that the forward was upset about being left out of the Norway game. The federation confirmed that Proença was with the squad in Sweden, where Portugal was preparing for Thursday’s match, but did not elaborate further. Ronaldo posted a photo on Instagram wearing the Portugal jersey, accompanied by the national flag and a heart emoji, on Tuesday.
Jesus, who took over after the World Cup, said he did not want to overuse Ronaldo during the unusually long international break, in which Portugal will play four games in 11 days. He had planned to give Ronaldo some minutes against Norway but circumstances prevented it, and he said he would talk to him after the match. Portugal currently leads Group A4 with six points from two matches, three ahead of Denmark and Norway, while Wales sits at the bottom.
