At the ripe old age of 41, Cristiano Ronaldo’s days as Portugal’s undisputed top star are obviously numbered. Many thought that the legendary striker would call it quits on his international career after the Selecão’s Round of 16 World Cup exit at the hands of Spain, with CR7 himself confirming that 2026 marked his final foray onto the World Cup stage. The Al Nassr striker, however, remains in the Portugal squad.
Ronaldo remains... for now
Ronaldo started and captained his side as they kicked off their defence of the Nations League title, a title that online betting sites make them contenders to retain. The popular 5Gringos online sportsbook currently makes the Selecão a 6/1 fourth-favourite to win a third Nations League crown next summer, with only Spain, France and England considered more likely champions. And considering how Portugal’s title defence has begun, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised at the lofty billing.
CR7 led the line in a 1-0 opening day win against Wales in Lisbon. He was then dropped to the bench for the gutsy 2-1 win away at Norway on matchday two, triggering a huge controversy and a rift with coach Jorge Jesus. Although the two appear to be at loggerheads, Ronaldo himself said he would like to continue to play for Portugal. Whether he succeeds in his quest or not is unclear, but one thing is certain. Portugal need a new talisman at the top end of the pitch.
Even at his best, Ronaldo is a shadow of the player he once was. And that is by no means a criticism; it’s to be expected at the age of 41. And luckily, he no longer has to carry the load.
New manager Jorge Jesus has two young striking options, and both of them look to be peaking at the perfect time. The first is Gonçalo Ramos. The 25-year-old moved to Italian giants AC Milan in the summer for a club-record €74m, and it is he who was the favourite to claim the starting berth either alongside or instead of Ronaldo for the ongoing Nations League fixtures. The other is João Félix, a striker who has endured a turbulent time since bursting onto the scene as a teenager with Benfica eight years ago.
Bursting onto the scene
In the autumn of 2018, João Félix was a slight 18-year-old Seixal graduate who had been let go by Porto’s academy. Seven goals in 30 appearances for Benfica’s B Team had captured attention, but no-one expected Atlético Madrid to pay €126m for him barely six months after he broke into the Eagles’ first team.
Félix’s opportunity came in January 2018 when Bruno Lage replaced Rui Vitória as manager. The new man at the helm paired his prodigious teenager with Haris Seferović at the top of a 4-4-2, freeing him to drift between the lines and arrive late in the box. Benfica were seven points behind Porto when the change was made. They finished as champions, with Félix netting 15 league goals and 20 in all competitions, but one April night defined him.
Against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League quarter-final, he scored a hat-trick at the Estádio da Luz, becoming the youngest player ever to do so in the competition. Diego Simeone had seen enough, forking out a whopping €126m and making Félix the third most expensive player in history, despite his tender years. But in the end, it was too much too soon.
The slide
Félix’s problem at the Metropolitano was never talent-related, but rather how he fit into the team. Simeone’s system demands sacrifice without the ball, and the young Portuguese attacker, raised under Lage to roam and improvise, never convinced his manager he would run for the collective. He did collect a La Liga winner’s medal in 2020-21, but too often, he started on the bench, and by late 2022, the relationship had soured beyond repair.
Chelsea took him on loan in January 2023. He was sent off on his debut against Fulham, and a club lurching through one of the most chaotic seasons in its history offered little stability. Barcelona followed in 2023-24, a move Félix had openly craved. There were flashes, including a goal against Atlético, yet Xavi’s side finished the season without a trophy and did not keep him.
In August 2024, Chelsea signed him permanently. The fresh start lasted barely five months. Largely confined to cup competitions under Enzo Maresca, he was loaned to AC Milan in January 2025. He scored on his debut against Roma, then faded from view. He headed to Al Nassr that summer, joining forces with his international captain Cristiano Ronaldo, and since then, he has started to show the world exactly why he commanded such a high transfer fee all those years ago.
The recent rebirth
For years, the question with Félix was where he fit. Suddenly, Portugal had an answer.
It began in Riyadh. Written off when he left Europe last summer, the former Benfica youngster spent his first season in Saudi Arabia playing with a freedom he had rarely known since he was in the Portuguese capital.
He finished his debut campaign as the Saudi Pro League’s player of the season as Al Nassr took the title for the first time since Ronaldo headed to the club in January 2023. Crucially, he did it alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, learning to share the final third with the man whose shadow has hung over every Portugal forward for two decades.
Now that apprenticeship is paying off at international level. Under new head coach Jorge Jesus, Félix has been handed a role as a second striker, and he has taken it. His goal settled a 1-0 win over Wales in Lisbon. Three days later, in Oslo, he took Pedro Neto’s pass on the edge of the area and drove Portugal ahead after 17 minutes. Gonçalo Ramos, starting alongside Félix in Ronaldo’s place, won it after Erling Haaland had equalised.
Ronaldo watched the entire match from the bench. That is the real story. Two games, two goals, two wins, and a pecking order that suddenly looks very different.
