The Portuguese Football Federation has officially confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo has left the national team camp, with the captain set to miss the remainder of the current international break.
Brief and to the point, the Federation's announcement gave no reasons for Ronaldo's departure and offered no further detail about the decision. Nor did the statement mention any permanent retirement from international football, according to "Marca".
The Portuguese Federation said in an official statement: "The Portuguese Football Federation announces that Portugal international Cristiano Ronaldo has left the national team camp, currently held in Copenhagen".
It added: "Preparations for the two matches against Denmark away from home and Norway, which will be held at the 'Do Dragao' stadium, will continue according to the set programme, with the participation of the remaining 24 players in the squad".
It concluded: "The technical and administrative staff continue to focus fully on the national team's upcoming commitments and achieving the set objectives".
No talk of Ronaldo retiring
Crucially, the statement frames Ronaldo's absence as limited to the rest of this international break. It says nothing about him walking away from international football for good.
Ronaldo had left the camp just hours after Jorge Jesus, the national team's head coach, insisted there was no problem with his captain. The player then revealed he had taken the decision to leave after the coach's press conference and following a conversation with the president of the Portuguese Football Federation.
Why exactly he made that call remains a mystery for now. Ronaldo has promised to explain at the appropriate time, while Portugal press on in the UEFA Nations League without their captain.