Portugal’s national football team has reportedly lost more than 370,000 Instagram followers following Cristiano Ronaldo’s sudden departure from the national team camp in Copenhagen.
According to Portuguese broadcaster Renascença, citing social-media analytics platform HypeAuditor, the Portuguese Football Federation’s Instagram account fell from around 25 million followers to 24,631,902, representing a drop of more than 370,000 followers in 24 hours. Other reports put the decline at more than 400,000 followers.
The sharp decline came after Ronaldo announced that he was leaving Portugal’s training camp ahead of the team’s Nations League match against Denmark.
Ronaldo said his decision followed a press conference by head coach Jorge Jesus and a conversation with Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proença.
“In due course, I will tell all Portuguese people the truth about the reasons that led to my departure from the national side.”
The 41-year-old forward also wished Portugal and his teammates well, without giving further details about what prompted his decision.
The incident followed Ronaldo’s omission from Portugal’s 2–1 victory over Norway. He subsequently missed team training despite not being injured, while Jesus publicly denied that Ronaldo had refused to train.
The FPF confirmed Ronaldo’s departure and said the remaining 24 players would continue preparing for the upcoming fixtures.
Reports also say Jesus and Proença travelled to Copenhagen airport in an unsuccessful attempt to persuade Ronaldo to remain with the squad.
The social-media reaction has extended beyond the federation’s account. Renascença reported that Ronaldo himself lost more than 100,000 followers after his departure, while Jesus also recorded a decline in followers.
For now, Ronaldo has not publicly explained the full circumstances behind his decision, saying he will disclose the reasons “in due course.”
