Jorge Jesus and Pedro Proença ‘tried until the last moment’ to keep Cristiano Ronaldo at the airport | OneFootball

Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal’s captain, left the national team camp in Denmark after arriving with the squad, despite late efforts by head coach Jorge Jesus and federation president Pedro Proença to persuade him to stay.

Shortly after Jorge Jesus had spoken, Ronaldo left the training venue, then returned to the team hotel to collect his belongings. He had travelled with the rest of the squad for the third matchday of the Nations League.

His private jet was flown in from Madrid to pick him up in Copenhagen, landing at around 22:15.

According to Marca, Jorge Jesus and Pedro Proença went to the airport and tried until the last moment to change his mind, but he boarded and the aircraft took off for Madrid at 23:35.

The episode has the feel of a rupture after more than 23 years with the Seleção. His abrupt exit could mark a major turning point in his international career, although no definitive decision on what comes next has been confirmed.

Source: L'Équipe

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”