Cristiano Ronaldo arrives in Madrid after leaving Portugal camp early

Cristiano Ronaldo arrived in Madrid in the early hours of Thursday after leaving the Portugal squad before the scheduled departure time, creating further tension around the national team camp.

The 41-year-old’s plane landed in the Spanish capital at about 01:20. According to Foot Mercato, Ronaldo left the airport roughly 20 minutes later in a car with Portuguese number plates before travelling to his home in Madrid.

Around 12 supporters managed to enter a restricted area of the airport by using the entrance intended for vehicles. They greeted the Portugal forward with chants and applause and tried to take photographs with him as he made his way out.

Spanish television programme El Chiringuito shared video of Ronaldo’s arrival on its official X account. The post was captioned: “Cristiano is already in Madrid. This is how he arrived after leaving the Portugal squad,” and was published on 1 October 2026.

Ronaldo’s arrival came against the backdrop of an increasingly strained relationship with Portugal manager Jesus. The dispute began when Ronaldo remained on the substitutes’ bench for the whole of Portugal’s previous match against Norway, which they won 2-1.

The decision reportedly angered Ronaldo, who is captain of Saudi club Al-Nassr. He then refused to take part in training after the Norway game.

Ronaldo subsequently held talks with Jesus and the situation appeared to have calmed. However, the manager later said at a news conference before the match against Denmark that no player, and nobody else in football, would change his way of thinking.

Ronaldo then left the Portugal camp and travelled to Madrid.