Even in the post-Cristiano Ronaldo era, the shadow of CR7 looms large over Portugal’s national team.
The squad for this month’s Nations League games was framed as ‘Portugal’s first since Ronaldo’s retirement’ by news outlets across the world. Manager Jorge Jesus faced repeated questions about the rift between the pair at last Friday’s press conference. Uncapped youngsters Rodrigo Mora and Gustavo Varela are already being compared to the legendary former captain.
That is to be expected following the international retirement of one of the greatest players of all time. But it also highlights how Portugal players and managers have been unable to break free from the shackles of the Ronaldo soap opera for two decades, often to the detriment of the national side.
Why Portugal are better off without Cristiano Ronaldo
Love him or loathe him, you cannot deny that Ronaldo’s numbers are staggering. In an international career that spanned almost a quarter of a century between his debut in August 2003 and his retirement last week, the forward scored 146 goals and won 234 caps, both of which are world records.
He captained Portugal to glory at Euro 2016 - the country’s only major title - and the 2019 and 2025 editions of the Nations League. There were also some brilliant individual performances, including a stunning hat-trick in a 3-3 draw with Spain at World Cup 2018.
At every tournament, Ronaldo dominated the narrative. Until Euro 2016, it was all about his quest for a first international trophy. The defining memory of the final against France was not Eder’s extra-time winner, but Ronaldo effectively appointing himself co-manager by joining head coach Fernando Santos in the technical area and issuing instructions, having earlier been forced off with an injury.
With European glory achieved, it was then all about whether Ronaldo or his great rival Lionel Messi would be the first to win a World Cup. In hindsight, Messi’s triumph at Qatar 2022 with Argentina was the worst thing that could have happened to Portugal.
That should have been Ronaldo’s last international tournament. He scored just once and was dropped for the last-16 clash with Switzerland after reacting badly to being substituted in the final group match with South Korea, even though Portugal had already qualified. It was the first time since 2008 that Ronaldo had started on the bench at a major tournament.
In came 21-year-old striker Goncalo Ramos, who promptly scored a hat-trick in a 6-1 rout as Portugal produced their best display of the finals. Ronaldo came on as a second-half substitute in the quarter-final against Morocco, but could not prevent a 1-0 defeat.
An exciting new generation started to form in Qatar, with Diogo Costa, Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, Joao Felix, Rafael Leao and Ramos all in their early 20s. It looked like the perfect time for Ronaldo, then aged 37 and with his powers clearly waning, to bow out.
Perhaps he would have retired if Messi had not lifted the trophy, which gave the Argentinian a crucial victory over his rival in the tedious debate over who is the Greatest Of All Time. Instead, Ronaldo embarked on a selfish farewell tour.
Santos was replaced by Roberto Martinez and the new manager sought to appease Ronaldo rather than phase him out. Martinez took an array of attacking talent to Euro 2024 but Ronaldo was the only forward to start every game, despite failing to score a single goal.
The quarter-final against France, which Portugal lost on penalties after a 0-0 draw, highlighted how Ronaldo was now hindering rather than helping his team. The forward was ineffective but played all 120 minutes, while Diogo Jota and Ramos were left on the bench.
Two years on, Portugal arrived at this summer’s World Cup with arguably their strongest-ever squad, featuring back-to-back Champions League victors Mendes, Joao Neves and Vitinha, Premier League Player of the Season Bruno Fernandes and serial winners such as Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva.
However, Ronaldo again started every game, despite clearly being off the pace. The BBC Sport report from Portugal’s last-32 win over Croatia is telling.
“Their attackers always looked to get the ball to Ronaldo, even when better options were available,” the report says, adding that Portugal “improved” when the 41-year-old was substituted. In the last 16, Ronaldo was again ineffective in a 1-0 defeat by eventual champions Spain, but played 90 minutes.
That is three tournaments in which Ronaldo held Portugal back - three tournaments where a golden generation were forced to fall into line to satisfy their captain’s ego.
Of course, said ego ultimately led to Ronaldo’s international retirement. Offended by new manager Jesus' decision to leave him on the bench for September’s Nations League win in Norway, and then not to start him in the following game, he left the camp. Unsurprisingly, Portugal’s attackers flourished in his absence, with Felix and Ramos each scoring in three of the four matches in that international window.
While Ronaldo will continue to dominate the narrative around the Nations League games against Denmark tomorrow and Wales on Tuesday, Jesus and his players can now look forward to every camp without the constant balancing act of trying to keep their former skipper happy.
It means there is nothing preventing Portugal from being a leading contender at Euro 2028 and World Cup 2030. Neves, Mendes, Vitinha and Fernandes all placed in the top 30 of this year’s Ballon d’Or, with all but the latter aged 26 or under.
Several other players, including Costa, Felix, Leao, Ramos and Pedro Neto are in their mid-20s and already boast plenty of international experience. The older members of the squad, such as Dias, Cancelo, Silva and Fernandes, are all aged 32 or under and have at least one more tournament in them.
It is not the first time Portugal have had this powerful blend of youth, experience and star quality, but now they can harness it properly - free of the burden of having to “get the ball to Ronaldo”.
