Cristiano Ronaldo will fly to the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Sunday after walking out of Portugal's national team camp in Denmark. The move follows his recent clash with coach Jorge Jesus, and it suggests the Portuguese star wants to put the international break behind him and return to his commitments with Al-Nassr rather than rush into mending a crisis that has rocked the national side.
The timing could hardly be more delicate. Ronaldo left the camp after Jesus confirmed he would not start against Denmark, and the player then revealed he had decided to go following a conversation with Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proenca. He promised to explain his reasons at the right moment.
Trouble had started after the match against Norway. Ronaldo sat on the bench for the entire game despite warming up, while Goncalo Ramos struck the winner in a 2-1 victory.
Tension between the player and Jesus then escalated. The coach announced Ronaldo would also miss the starting line-up against Denmark, insisting he would not bend his tactical decisions for any individual.
Portuguese newspaper "Record" report that Ronaldo flying to Riyadh on his private jet, on the very day Portugal face Norway during the international break, means more than a simple return to Saudi Arabia. By resuming his usual routine and heading back to his club, he may be ruling out any quick fix, leaving the dispute to run its course over the coming weeks.
Jesus and the federation president had already tried and failed to talk him round. Both went to the airport after he left the camp, but the player boarded his private jet bound for Madrid.
His international future hangs in the balance, even though no official word has come on any retirement from the Portugal squad.
For now, the crisis is far from settled. Reports claim Jesus is ready to hold fresh talks with Ronaldo in a bid to end the row, but the Portugal captain has yet to respond to the invitation.