Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal's all-time leading scorer, left the national team's camp in Copenhagen on Wednesday. Jorge Jesus took over as coach in July. On Sunday, he left the 41-year-old on the bench for the whole 2-1 win in Norway. On Wednesday, Jesus told reporters that striker Gonçalo Ramos would likely start again against Denmark. Ronaldo skipped training and left minutes later. That evening he posted that he'd decided to leave after the coach's press conference and a talk with Pedro Proença, the president of the Portuguese Football Federation. He promised that "in due time" he'd tell "all the Portuguese" the truth about "the reasons that motivated my departure from the national team." The federation didn't say why he left. It said the team will prepare with the other 24 players. Portugal plays Denmark on Thursday at 11:45 a.m. Pacific. Ronaldo hasn't explicitly said he's quitting Portugal for good.

1. Ronaldo Said He'd Go If He Wasn't Wanted (Ronaldo and His Sister)

Ronaldo ties his exit to the coach's press conference and says he'll explain the rest himself.

He left right after the coach spoke. His post says he made the decision himself, after the press conference and a talk with Proença. He hasn't explained why yet.

He said last week he'd leave if he wasn't wanted. He said the day before last week's Wales match, "Whenever they say they don't want me in the national team, I will be the first one to go." Ronaldo holds Portugal's records for games played and goals, with 234 caps and 146 goals.

His sister is backing him. On the day he left, his older sister, Elma Aveiro, reshared a fan's post that criticized the national team's setup and the Portuguese press. The fan's post called the Portuguese "envious, contemptuous, ignorant." She added, "Everything has been said."

2. But Jesus Says He Picks the Team (Jorge Jesus and Portuguese Pundits)

Jesus and his backers say no player, however famous, gets to decide who plays.

The rules apply to Ronaldo too. "Status is one thing, the rules are another," Jesus said Wednesday. Jesus had told Ronaldo he'd come off the bench in Oslo, then didn't use him. Asked about that, Jesus didn't apologize. "I can promise whatever I want, I'm the coach… No player will ever make a decision for me," he said.

The coach says Ronaldo had already left the call to him. Jesus said Ronaldo told him, "If you want me to play, I'll play. If you want me to go to the stands, I'll go." Jesus admitted one mistake. He said he sent Ronaldo to warm up too early, at halftime in Oslo.

Some pundits say the coach was right to stand firm. CNN Portugal commentator Bruno Batista said, "We learned something good today: Portugal isn't for sale." He added, "Jorge Jesus survived." TSF commentator João Nuno Sousa said Ronaldo doesn't seem to accept "that the coach has any kind of authority" in this case.

3. Both Sides Owe Portugal a Better Ending (Renascença, CNN Portugal, IPAM)

These commentators say Ronaldo and the federation both have to fix how his Portugal career ends.

Walking out was wrong, even if he had a point. "However right Ronaldo may be, he should never have done it," said Nuno Presume, a commentator for Portuguese radio station Renascença.

Covering it up won't work. Presume said "the problem certainly existed; there's no point trying to cover it up." He said Proença must "explain everything." Jesus told reporters there was "no case at all." Right after, on the federation's own TV channel, he said Ronaldo "got angry with me."

Ronaldo and the federation still have to fix the ending. CNN Portugal commentator João Marcelino called the moment "the end of an era." He said he hopes Ronaldo's relationship with the federation gets repaired. Daniel Sá, of the IPAM marketing school, said Ronaldo has to think about "what final image he wants to leave." He said the federation has to manage "a positive transition."

Where This Lands

Ronaldo says he decided to leave after the coach's press conference, and he promises to explain the rest. Jesus says no player makes decisions for him, and Batista says the day showed Portugal "isn't for sale." Presume says Ronaldo was wrong to walk out, but the federation still owes fans an explanation. The federation hasn't announced any discipline. Sport TV reported that Proença won't speak until Sunday. The federation's rules allow a ban of one to six months for leaving a camp without a good reason. Portugal plays Denmark on Thursday without him.

Sources