Cristiano Ronaldo may have been disheartened by his son not being included in the Portugal U16 squad. This was revealed by Vitor Pinto, deputy director of Record.
He stressed that any dissatisfaction with the coaching staff's decisions was not the direct reason for the forward's sudden departure from the national team camp.
Ronaldo departed Copenhagen on Wednesday evening, shortly after a press conference with Portugal's head coach, Jorge Jesus. Later, his private jet took off for Madrid.
The national captain explained that he made the decision to leave after the press conference and a conversation with the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, Pedro Proenca. He promised to disclose the reasons for his departure "in due time."
Ronaldo unhappy with decision on son
According to Vitor Pinto, an additional source of tension for the striker was the exclusion of Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. from the U16 national team squad.
The journalist clarified that this issue wasn’t directly linked to the father's decision to leave the training camp. However, he noted that in tense moments, "everything falls into place."
Ronaldo Jr. has already played for the Portugal U16 side and was called up for a UEFA development tournament in May.
Ronaldo prepares to explain his actions
The departure of Cristiano coincided with changes in the national team's starting line-up. After Ronaldo spent the entire match against Norway on the bench, Jorge Jesus confirmed that Goncalo Ramos would start against Denmark.
Portugal secured a 2-1 victory over Norway, but the decision to leave the captain on the sidelines attracted additional scrutiny regarding the team’s dynamics.
At this moment, neither Ronaldo nor the Portuguese Football Federation has confirmed that the absence of his son from the U16 squad impacted the forward's choice to leave the national team's camp.
