Football

Cristiano Ronaldo’s sudden departure from the Portgual national team camp sent shockwaves through the international football community on Wednesday.

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After facing heavy criticism for the perceived negative impact on his team’s performance during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Ronaldo’s role within the Selecao squad has seemed to diminish, with the transition to new head coach Jorge Jesus causing a supposed rift between player and staff.

Ronaldo abruptly departed the national team squad on Wednesday, just one day before the squad was set to face Denmark in the UEFA Nations League. Ronaldo’s failure to appear in the win over Norway on the weekend had created tension between the 41-year-old and his new coach, and they reportedly had a falling out in the days after.

Now, Ronaldo’s family is speaking out in support of their star performer as the all-time leading international goal scorer decides how to proceed with his iconic career.

MORE: The Jorge Jesus press conference which led to Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit from the Portugal national team

Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister rages after CR7 quits Portugal team

Cristiano Ronaldo’s older sister Elma Aveiro has taken to social media to criticize both the Portugal national team and the fanbase for their role in her brother’s shocking exit from international camp during the fall 2026 window.

«CR7 deserved more respect as the national team deserved more structure,» Aveiro wrote in a statement on her Instagram story, «and Portuguese journalism deserved more competence and less speculation.

«As for the Portuguese people, well, they don’t deserve to have the best at anything. We are envious, disdainful, ignorant, and we deserve to return to the mediocrity we always had in football before Cristiano.»

“Thank you for everything, CR7! You deserved more!»

The post then had an image of Ronaldo kneeling in front of a goal, with the text «Tudo dito» overlaid on top, which translates to «all said and done.»

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elma_oficial/Instagram

While most of this is clearly a statement in support of her brother, there are some aggressive phrasings in the post as well.

Aveiro taking aim at the Portuguese fans in general can be taken as quite anti-Portugal, and it seems to be that she is wishing defeat on the national team in Ronaldo’s absence.

What happened with Cristiano Ronaldo at Portugal?

On Wednesday, September 30, Cristiano Ronaldo sensationally departed Portugal national team camp in anger.

While Ronaldo would not yet confirm what happened, multiple reports seem to indicate some kind of rift with head coach Jorge Jesus, potentially over his failure to appear off the bench in the last match, a 2-1 victory over Norway.

His exit came just a day before Portugal were set to visit Denmark in UEFA Nations League play, leaving doubts over the future of the 41-year-old superstar’s international career.

Ronaldo claimed that, «In due time, I will tell the truth to all Portuguese people about the reasons that motivated my departure from the national team.»

How many siblings does Cristiano Ronaldo have?

Cristiano Ronaldo is youngest of four children, giving him three older siblings.

He has one older brother Hugo Aveiro, and two older sisters Elma and Liliana «Katia» Aveiro.

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Katia is a singer and entrepreneur, while Elma is an influencer.