Portugal leaves door open for Ronaldo after abrupt camp exit
publishers 30articles 56first reported 1 Oct, 08:25 UTCdeveloping since 1 Oct · 26 editions
Portugal coach Jorge Jesus said Cristiano Ronaldo can return to the national team if the forward chooses, days after the 41-year-old captain abruptly left the squad before a Nations League match against Denmark.
Ronaldo departed on Wednesday after learning he would not start in Copenhagen. He had been an unused substitute in Portugal’s 2-1 win away to Norway, following a 67-minute appearance in a 1-0 victory over Wales. In an Instagram post, Ronaldo said he would explain “in due course” his reasons for leaving and wished his teammates good luck.
Jesus denied reports of a rift but acknowledged Ronaldo had been disappointed not to play against Norway. Speaking after Portugal beat Norway 2-1 again on Sunday, the coach said Ronaldo remained eligible for selection if he continued playing for Al-Nassr.
“If he wants to, he’ll return to the national team,” Jesus said, adding that they could speak before the next squad announcement. “Cris is the one who’s going to decide.”
Portuguese Football Federation President Pedro Proenca also said Ronaldo remained in the team’s plans, describing the episode as a misunderstanding to be resolved internally.
Portugal won 4-2 in Denmark and then defeated Norway without Ronaldo, maintaining a perfect Group A4 record and securing a Nations League quarterfinal place. Ronaldo, Portugal’s record scorer and most-capped player, has 146 goals in 234 international appearances. It remains unclear whether he will return for Portugal’s November fixtures.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 8 articles, 8 with the publisher's own text; 6 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 116 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
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