The five-time Ballon d’Or winner had been left on the bench for Portugal’s Nations League win over Norway and later decided to leave after the coach’s press conference comments.
In a statement, Ronaldo confirmed he was heading home and vowed to “tell the Portuguese people the truth” about his departure in due course.
The reaction on social media was immediate and brutal for the national team’s account.
According to Pulse Sports HQ, the official Portugal Instagram page shed more than one million followers in the space of a day as fans expressed their anger and support for the Al-Nassr star.
The mass unfollow highlights just how central Ronaldo remains to the national team’s global popularity, even at 41.
For years, the side has benefited enormously from his enormous worldwide following, and the sudden drop underlines the commercial and soft-power impact of his presence.
Portugal went on to beat Denmark 4-2 without their all-time leading scorer, in what could signal the start of a new era.