Cristiano Ronaldo’s international future with Portugal has been thrown into doubt after the veteran forward left the team’s training camp after learning he would not start against Denmark for a second straight Nations League match.

The 41-year-old announced his departure late Wednesday, shortly after coach Jorge Jesus confirmed that Gonçalo Ramos would again lead the attack.

Ronaldo had been expected to train with his teammates at Copenhagen’s Parken Stadium ahead of Thursday’s match but instead left the camp following a conversation with Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proença.

"Following the national team coach’s press conference, and after having a conversation with the Portuguese Football Federation president, I decided to leave the national team’s training camp,” Ronaldo wrote on Instagram.

Portugal went on to beat Denmark 4-2 without its captain, producing an emphatic attacking display that added another layer to the growing debate over Ronaldo’s role with the national team.

Ronaldo had remained on the bench for the entirety of Portugal’s 2-1 Nations League victory over Norway on Sunday. It was the first time since November 2024 that he had failed to appear for Portugal without being injured or suspended.

Jesus, who coached Ronaldo at Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr for a year before taking charge of Portugal in July, had insisted there was no serious disagreement between them. He acknowledged, however, that Ronaldo was unhappy after being left out against Norway.

"There was no incident whatsoever,” Jesus said after the Norway match.

The coach later explained that Ronaldo had warmed up for 20 to 30 minutes but was ultimately not brought onto the field.

"Any player, and I was a player myself, when you spend 20 or 30 minutes warming up and then don’t get on, no one is happy about that,” Jesus said.

Jesus said he had informed Ronaldo before the Norway match that he could be used as a substitute but ultimately decided against making the change.

"Afterwards, as coach, I decided not to bring him on. It’s nothing to make a fuss about,” Jesus said.

The situation escalated after Jesus confirmed Wednesday that Ramos would start again against Denmark.

"If I need him, he’ll come on. If I don’t need him, he won’t,” Jesus said of Ronaldo.

Ronaldo’s decision to leave the camp suggested that his frustration went beyond a single omission from the starting lineup. The Portugal captain also hinted that he could eventually reveal more about what prompted his departure.

"In due course, I will tell the truth to all the Portuguese people about my reasons for leaving the national team, to which I have always been dedicated,” Ronaldo wrote.

"Now is time to wish good luck to Portugal and to all my teammates, without exception.”

Spanish sports newspaper Marca reported that Jesus and Proença followed Ronaldo to Copenhagen airport in an attempt to persuade him to remain with the squad before the forward boarded his private jet.

The episode also prompted an angry response from Ronaldo’s sister, Elma Aveiro, who criticized the Portuguese public in a post on Instagram.

"They don’t deserve to have the best of anything,” she wrote, adding that Portugal had become "envious, scornful, and ignorant” and deserved to return to the period before Ronaldo’s emergence.

The dispute has also spilled into the streets of Lisbon.

A Portugal fan sponsored a large billboard outside the Portuguese Football Federation headquarters expressing support for Ronaldo while criticizing Jesus. The artificial intelligence-generated billboard featured images of Ronaldo and the coach.

"Thank you, Cristiano Ronaldo, for all you have done for Portugal. You’re forever our captain,” the message next to Ronaldo read.

The section aimed at Jesus said the coach "wasn’t up to the task” and accused him of having an "inflated ego.” The billboard was quickly removed.

Fernando Maia, the fan who paid for the display, said he had no personal connection to Ronaldo or his representatives. Maia owns a billboard company and said his decision was motivated by gratitude for what Ronaldo has contributed to Portuguese football.

"I don’t know Ronaldo, I don’t know anyone on Ronaldo’s entourage,” Maia said in comments reported by Portuguese media. "I know myself, and I know something called gratitude.”

Maia also suggested that the dispute involved more than Jesus.

"Jorge Jesus was just the means for this to have happened, but there are more culprits,” he said.

He said he planned to display the same billboard outside the Estádio do Dragão when Portugal play their next Nations League match.

Jesus, meanwhile, sought to shift attention back to Portugal’s performance after the 4-2 victory over Denmark, stressing that the team’s result mattered more than the controversy surrounding its captain.

"This Portugal team scored four goals and put in a performance which, in my opinion, was of a very high standard,” Jesus said. "Of course, this is more important than anything else that has happened.”

But he also made clear that Ronaldo’s reputation would not exempt him from selection decisions.

"There are players with status. That much is crystal clear,” Jesus said. "But I’ll say it again: The rules are the same for everyone.”

The comments underline the difficult balance facing Jesus as he manages a player who has been central to Portugal’s identity for more than two decades.

Ronaldo recently indicated that this could be his final year in professional football. He is Portugal’s all-time leading scorer and most-capped player, with 146 goals in 234 international appearances.

His international career began in 2003, when he made his debut at 18. He subsequently played in the Euro 2004 final on home soil, reached the 2006 World Cup semifinals and captained Portugal to its first major international title at Euro 2016.

He has also represented Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus at club level while establishing himself as one of the most prolific scorers in football history.

Now, with Ronaldo approaching the end of his career, his relationship with Portugal has entered an uncertain chapter.

His decision to leave the training camp, followed by his promise to eventually explain his reasons, has raised questions over whether Thursday’s absence was simply a protest over his role or the beginning of a much larger break with the national team.