The first post was the point. Cristiano Ronaldo, who had gone quiet after leaving Portugal’s training camp in Copenhagen on Wednesday 30 September, returned to his Instagram on Monday with pictures from Al-Nassr training, smiling and joking in the club’s yellow and blue. No reference to Portugal. No reference to Jorge Jesus. Just a man back at work.
The 41-year-old had arrived in Riyadh on Sunday evening and reported to the club’s training ground the following morning. Al-Nassr greeted him with a Portuguese-language post hailing him as the greatest ever and highlighting a new haircut. He went through the session alongside Sadio Mané, Kingsley Coman, Íñigo Martínez and Samú Costa.
The press conference that ended his camp
The silence had been noticeable for a reason. Ronaldo’s feed usually moves daily, and his last post before Monday had been the short Instagram note on 30 September announcing he was leaving the Portugal camp.
The chain of events in Copenhagen had been quick. Jesus told Ronaldo before the Nations League match against Denmark that he would not be starting, after leaving him as an unused substitute in Portugal’s 2-1 win over Norway. The Portugal coach, who crossed from the Al-Nassr dugout to the national team at the end of last season, had earlier that day denied there was a rift.
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“He didn’t refuse. He’s going to train today,” Jesus told reporters when the absence from training became public, insisting the 41-year-old had been working in the gym rather than skipping sessions.
Within hours of the press conference, Ronaldo was in a federation vehicle leaving Parken Stadium, bound for a private flight. He posted a short Instagram statement announcing his departure and vowing to tell the full story “in time”. Then he went silent.
21 goals from a thousand
What was waiting for him in Saudi Arabia was the one storyline he has publicly tied to the end of his career. Ronaldo is on 979 career goals in his official tally, three of them in the Saudi Pro League this season and 132 for Al-Nassr since joining the club. The 21 that separate him from 1,000 are, for now, the counter the club wants everyone watching.
Under head coach Ange Postecoglou, who took over the Pro League champions in July, Al-Nassr return to league action on Friday against Al Diriyah, now coached by the Portuguese Bruno Lage. Portugal, meanwhile, continue the Nations League window without their captain.
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Kick-off against Al Diriyah in Riyadh is on Friday 9 October.
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