The Portuguese Football Federation denied on Thursday that Cristiano Ronaldo had threatened to leave the team's camp at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, for not starting against Switzerland in the quarter-finals.
Coach Fernando Santos made the surprise decision to keep Ronaldo on the bench on Tuesday, and his young replacement Gonzalo Ramos scored a hat-trick in the 6-1 thrashing of Switzerland.
Ronaldo came on in the 73rd minute when the Seleção were 5-1 up, but Portuguese newspaper Record reported that the striker had previously threatened to leave after a fraught conversation with Santosh.
"The federation clarifies that the Seleção captain never threatened to leave the national team during his stay in Qatar," the federation said in a statement.
"Every day, Ronaldo is working to consolidate his exceptional record in the service of the national team and the country, and this is something that must be respected."
The FA said the participation of Ronaldo, who scored one goal in Qatar from the penalty spot in the first round against Ghana, in the match against Switzerland was further proof of his commitment.
Ronaldo is Portugal's most capped player and the top international scorer in football history.
Portugal meet Morocco on Saturday in the quarter-finals and Ramos is likely to start in place of Ronaldo again.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner did not train with the other substitutes on Wednesday, but took part in a session in the sports hall alongside those who started against Switzerland.