"He came out onto the pitch then suddenly disappeared": the secret behind Cristiano's absence from Portugal's training

Portugal returned to training on Tuesday after a rest day, fresh from their 2-1 win over Norway in the UEFA Nations League.

Next up is a Nations League clash with Denmark, scheduled for Thursday.

According to A Bola , Cristiano Ronaldo did not train with the rest of his teammates.

João Félix, who scored twice across the previous two matches, was also absent from the session. So too was Francisco Conceição, who underwent medical examinations on Tuesday morning to rule out any chance of him leaving the training camp.

At first, the Portuguese newspaper could not say whether Ronaldo had taken part or walked off the pitch, especially as he was nowhere to be seen during the opening 15 minutes when the media were allowed in.

The paper later confirmed the truth: Ronaldo had left the training pitch and gone to the hotel where the squad is staying.

The captain came down to the pitch half an hour before the session began but never joined in with his teammates.

He then left the Eleda Stadium, Malmo's home ground, while the session was still under way.

"The Don" headed back to the team hotel to do specific work in the gym.

The Portuguese Football Federation told the newspaper that Malmo's stadium was missing a particular piece of gym equipment that Ronaldo needed for his session on Tuesday.