On 29/9, the Portugal national team resumed training after a day off. Starting players primarily engaged in light recovery, while substitutes or players who came on trained as usual. Captain Ronaldo, however, was absent.

He was seen drinking coffee at Portugal's training camp before returning to the hotel and heading to the gym.

That afternoon, to quell speculation, Ronaldo posted a photo of himself in the national team's tracksuit, accompanied by a heart emoji and the Portuguese flag. The reason for Ronaldo's absence from team training remains unclear.

Ronaldo clapped during warm-ups before the match between Portugal and Wales in the Nations League group stage on 24/9, in Lisbon, Portugal. *Photo: AP*.

Ronaldo was an unused substitute in Portugal's 2-1 victory over Norway in the Nations League group stage on 27/9, despite being fully fit. This marked the first time since 2008 that he was not brought onto the field in a national team game.

"I had agreed with Cristiano that he would come on for the final 30 minutes, but it wasn't necessary," explained coach Jorge Jesus. "Goncalo Ramos played well, scoring one goal and having another disallowed. I didn't feel it was the right time to make a substitution."

Previously, in Jesus's debut match – a 1-0 victory over Wales on 24/9 – Ronaldo started but did not score and was substituted. The captain's last goal for the national team was a penalty in the 2-1 win against Croatia in the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup.

Portugal is currently training in Sweden to prepare for their match against hosts Denmark on 1/10. Three days later, coach Jesus's team will return home for the return leg against Norway.

Portugal currently leads Group 4 of Nations League A, with two victories against Wales and Norway. According to tournament regulations, the top two teams in each group after six matches will advance to the quarterfinals. Portugal is defending the Nations League, a title they won in 2025 under coach Roberto Martinez after defeating Spain 5-3 in a penalty shootout in the final.

Ronaldo holds two international records: playing 234 matches and scoring 146 goals. Lionel Messi ranks second with 207 matches and 125 goals, but is set to retire from the Argentina national team on 6/10.

Thanh Quy (according to A Bola)