Can Portugal reach its potential without Ronaldo?

Following Ronaldo's retirement from the national team, the Portugal squad announced for the Nations League matches was reported in the world press as "the first squad after Ronaldo's retirement." Head coach Jorge Jesus was repeatedly asked about the tension between himself and Ronaldo at his press conference last Friday. Rodrigo Mora and Gustavo Varela, who have not yet played for the national team, are already being compared with the former captain.

This was expected. However, for twenty years, players and coaches in Portugal have not been able to escape Ronaldo's shadow, and at times this has harmed the national team.

Ronaldo's numbers are beyond dispute. In his national team career, which began with his debut in August 2003, he scored 146 goals and made 234 appearances. Both of these figures are world records. He led Portugal as captain to its only major tournament title, Euro 2016. He was also the team's captain in the 2019 and 2025 Nations League title wins. His three goals in the 3-3 draw with Spain at the 2018 World Cup are considered one of the standout individual performances.

At every tournament, the narrative revolved around Ronaldo. The moment remembered from the Euro 2016 final was not Eder's extra-time goal, but Ronaldo, forced off through injury, joining Fernando Santos on the technical area and giving instructions. Messi winning the World Cup with Argentina in Qatar 2022, however, is now seen in hindsight as the worst thing that happened to Portugal.