Madrid has become Cristiano Ronaldo’s brief stop between Portugal’s camp and Riyadh, with the 41-year-old expected to leave for Al-Nassr before his national team’s next UEFA Nations League fixture.
Key takeaways
- Ronaldo is scheduled to fly from Madrid to Riyadh on Sunday in his Bombardier Global Express XRS private jet.
- The departure is expected shortly after 13:00 local time, around seven hours before Portugal face Norway in Porto.
- The forward left Portugal’s squad after a dispute with coach Jorge Jesus over his role in the team.
- The Portuguese Football Federation is seeking a meeting between Ronaldo and Jesus to resolve the situation.
- Jesus has reportedly agreed to the proposed talks, while Ronaldo’s approval was still pending.
A departure before Porto
Ronaldo has been in the Spanish capital since Wednesday, when he travelled from Copenhagen after joining Portugal ahead of Thursday’s match against Denmark. He used the same aircraft for that journey and is now expected to board it again for the return to Saudi Arabia.
His planned flight would take him away from the international window before Portugal’s fourth-round Nations League meeting with Norway at Porto’s home venue. The timing is particularly striking because it comes only hours before the national side are due to play.
The former Real Madrid forward was present at the stadium in Copenhagen but did not take part in training during the gathering.
Federation attempts to calm the dispute
The tension has centred on Ronaldo’s reaction to being named among the substitutes for Portugal’s 2-1 win over Norway in Oslo, a result from the second round of the UEFA Nations League. The decision brought the veteran forward into conflict with Jesus.
Portugal’s federation has moved to arrange a face-to-face discussion between the coach and the country’s most recognisable football figure, hoping to restore a working relationship before the issue deepens.
Jesus has publicly described Ronaldo as a symbol of the national team despite the disagreement. The proposed meeting has the coach’s consent, but the player had not yet accepted the invitation as preparations continued for the Norway match.
