Ronaldo’s sister backs forward after Portugal camp exit
Elma Aveiro has defended Cristiano Ronaldo after he left Portugal’s training camp before the team’s Nations League match against Denmark. Her Instagram message criticised the treatment of the captain and questioned the country’s football structures. Ronaldo has not announced his international retirement and said he would later explain his decision.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister, Elma Aveiro, has publicly defended the Portugal captain after he left the national team’s training camp before Thursday’s UEFA Nations League match against Denmark. Aveiro shared a message on Instagram saying Ronaldo deserved greater respect and that the national team needed more structure. The post also criticised Portuguese journalism and expressed anger at the country’s treatment of the forward.
The message ended by thanking Ronaldo and saying he deserved more. That wording has added to speculation that the 41-year-old could be nearing the end of his international career, although neither Ronaldo nor the Portuguese Football Federation has announced his retirement. Ronaldo said he decided to leave the camp after a press conference by national team coach Jorge Jesus and a conversation with Pedro Proença, the federation’s president.
“In due course, I will tell all Portuguese people the truth about the reasons behind my departure,” he said in a statement posted on Instagram. He also wished Portugal and his teammates good luck. The federation later confirmed that he had left the camp.
The departure followed reports about Ronaldo’s role in the team. He was an unused substitute when Portugal beat Norway 2-1 in their previous Nations League match, while Jesus had indicated that Ronaldo would not start against Denmark. Jesus denied that Ronaldo had refused to train or that there had been a major confrontation between them.
Ronaldo remains Portugal’s record goalscorer and most-capped player, while Reuters reported that his international future was uncertain.
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