Why is Cristiano Ronaldo not playing in Portugal vs Denmark Nations League match?

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo is the most-capped men’s player of all time (234) and the side’s leading men’s international scorer with 146 goals. | Photo Credit: AFP

Portugal is set to lock horns with Denmark without its talisman player Cristiano Ronaldo in the UEFA Nations League 2026-27 fixture between the sides on Thursday.

Portugal currently leads its group with six points, three ahead of Norway and Denmark in second and third, respectively, while Wales is last with zero points.

Why is Cristiano Ronaldo not playing in the Portugal vs Denmark Nations League fixture?

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was reported to have left Portugal’s training camp due to his situation with the national team being handled disrespectfully, as ahead of the match against Norway, head coach Jorge Jesus promised the Portuguese talisman a specific amount of playing time and then refused to bring him in.

He later posted on social media: “After the national team coach’s press conference and after a conversation with the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, I decided to step out of the national team camp.”

“With time, I will tell the Portuguese people what the reasons were for me being out of the national team, to whom I have always dedicated myself. Now is the time to wish Portugal and all my teammates the best, without any exception,” he concluded.

Jesus insisted that Ronaldo would participate in the training on Wednesday, but instead, the forward chose to walk away from the team.