A dramatic night at the airport: Jesus and Proenca could not stop Ronaldo's departure

The conflict surrounding the Portuguese national team is taking an unexpected and dramatic turn. The country's football leadership fought until the last minute to bring back 41-year-old captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who left the training camp ahead of the crucial upcoming UEFA Nations League match against Denmark.

According to an exclusive report by the influential Spanish publication Marca, head coach Jorge Jesus and Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) President Pedro Proenca personally traveled to Copenhagen International Airport after Ronaldo.

A lonely plane and an unchanged decision

According to reports, the delegation leaders urged the forward to remain with the national team and set aside their differences. However, despite the difficult face-to-face conversation, Ronaldo stood firm in his position and openly refused to return to the team:

• Flight schedule: Ronaldo's private plane landed in Copenhagen at approximately 22:15 local time.

  • Flight to Madrid: Following fruitless negotiations at the airport, at 23:35 the aircraft departed for the Spanish capital with the footballer on board. From there, the captain is expected to leave for Saudi Arabia.

  Threat of a 6-month disqualification and divided fans

  Following this sensational demarche, the star striker faces severe consequences. According to the FPF Disciplinary Code, a player who arbitrarily leaves the team's camp can be deprived of the right to take the field for one to six months and subjected to a financial penalty.

  Currently, public reaction to this event is mixed:

  • One group of fans recalls the captain's 20-year service and interprets head coach Jorge Jesus keeping him warming up for 30 minutes without subbing him in during the match against Norway as a sign of disrespect;

  • The other side emphasizes that national interests and team discipline take precedence over any individual, openly criticizing Ronaldo for deserting the squad ahead of an important match.

  The fact that even the leadership's trip to the airport to plead with him yielded no results makes the assumption that Ronaldo's record of 234 matches and 146 goals in the national team jersey might end right here almost a reality.