Cristiano Ronaldo leaving Portugal’s training camp has created a situation that may be impossible for the national team to simply move past.
The 41-year-old captain abruptly departed Portugal’s camp ahead of the Nations League meeting with Denmark after coach Jorge Jesus confirmed that he would not start the match. Ronaldo subsequently said he would explain the reasons for his decision “in due time.”
Portugal went on to beat Denmark 4-2 without him.
That result may have given Jesus some breathing room, but it did little to settle the questions surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo and his relationship with the national team.
If anything, the events that followed made the situation even more difficult to ignore.
Euan Jones, digital PR specialist at Casinos.com, believes the fallout has exposed a much bigger issue surrounding Ronaldo’s status.
“Losing 300,000 Instagram followers overnight tells you everything about where the power actually sits in that relationship. Portugal’s federation can insist there was ‘no incident’ all it wants, but the footage of their captain boarding a flight out of camp mid-window does the talking for them. This is what happens when a global brand and a national federation stop being able to tell the same story about each other.”
Cristiano Ronaldo Still Casts a Huge Shadow
The biggest problem for Portugal may be that Cristiano Ronaldo remains impossible to separate from the national team.
He is Portugal’s record goalscorer and most-capped player, while his international career includes the country’s Euro 2016 triumph. Even when he is not playing, his presence dominates the conversation.
That was obvious in Denmark.
Rasmus Højlund scored for Denmark and celebrated with Ronaldo’s trademark “Siuuu” celebration.
Es increíble que todos los jugadores del mundo lo aman menos los payasos de su selección. Inútiles.
Ojalá Cristiano no hubiera sido portugués.
After the match, footage also showed a tense-looking interaction between Højlund and Jesus, although there is no confirmation that the exchange was connected to Ronaldo.
The symbolism, however, was difficult to miss.
Jones believes it offered another reminder that Ronaldo’s influence extends far beyond Portugal’s dressing room.
“It also speaks volumes that the first game Portugal played without Ronaldo produced a goal from the opposition where Denmark’s Rasmus Højlund chose to celebrate it with Ronaldo’s own ‘Siuuu,’ then brushed past Jorge Jesus instead of shaking his hand. Whatever online ‘experts’ make of Cristiano, that’s a statement from players who share the pitch with him, and it’s a sentiment that carries a lot of weight”
Højlund has previously spoken about Ronaldo as an idol, and reports have characterized the celebration as a tribute rather than a direct criticism of Jesus.
Portugal Cannot Escape the Distraction
That may ultimately be the most difficult issue facing Jesus.
Portugal can win without Cristiano Ronaldo. It just did, producing an impressive 4-2 victory in Copenhagen.
But winning without him does not necessarily make the Ronaldo question disappear.
Bruno Fernandes has already rejected suggestions of a fractured Portugal dressing room and defended Ronaldo’s standing within Portuguese football. Jesus has also continued to emphasize Ronaldo’s importance to the team.
That leaves Portugal in an awkward position.
The team has to establish its future, while its greatest-ever player remains one of the biggest stories surrounding it.
Until Ronaldo explains exactly why he left, the questions will continue.
And when he eventually does, the conversation around Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal could become even bigger.
Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal Exit Raises New Questions