'Sad exit': Portugal fans mourn hinted end of Ronaldo era

Fans of Portugal’s national football team are in mourning after as Cristiano Ronaldo seems closer than ever from international retirement.

The star forward walked out of the team’s training camp on Wednesday, hours after coach Jorge Jesus said he would not start Thursday’s Nations League game against Denmark.

“I think it is a bit of lack of respect with a player that has put us on the map, so to speak, he has given many trophies to the ‘Seleção’ (national team), in my opinion without him we wouldn’t have won half the trophies we won so far," João Mário Cunha, a 27-year-old Portugal supporter said on Thursday.

"For him to leave this way, the statements of the manager shouldn’t have been made public the way they did, so I think it is sad exit, it is also one man down and people wont be going to the matches as much with him not on the starting 11.”

There are many questions left to answer, including whether Ronaldo is done with Portugal. Fans are hoping he still might make peace with Jesus and return in the next international break.

The 41-year-old Ronaldo says that “in time” he will “tell the Portuguese people the truth about the reasons” behind his departure.

For now, the team is carrying on without him, beating Denmark 4-2 in Copenhagen on Thursday.