Under the leadership of coach Jorge Jesus, the Portuguese national team without Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal showed improved performance and effectiveness in attack. After Ronaldo’s departure from the team, Portugal delivered in the 4-2 away win against Denmark played his best game since the start of the tournament in the Nations League.
Tactical development under Jorge Jesus
Portuguese national coach Jorge Jesus is known for his assertiveness and stands in stark contrast to his predecessor, Roberto Martinez. After a rather lackluster performance with Ronaldo, in which the striker had the fewest touches of the ball and missed a chance, coach Jesus left Ronaldo out of the squad for the following match. Without him, Portugal’s attacking play was significantly more effective, and the team won. 2:1 away against Norway.
Conflict and departure from the team
According to insiders, Ronaldo was furious because he had a verbal agreement to not start against Norway but to be substituted on. Coach Jesus confirmed this intention but ultimately didn’t play Ronaldo due to the course of the game. When Jesus announced in the press conference that Ronaldo would be on the bench, the 41-year-old superstar immediately left the team.
Team performance comparison without Ronaldo
A difference in performance was already evident in previous matches: In the penultimate game of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Portugal lost 2-0 to Ireland without the sent-off Ronaldo, while the last match played while Ronaldo was suspended ended in a 9-1 victory against Armenia. Such comparisons illustrate that Portugal often plays more fluidly without Ronaldo, as the striker’s biggest goal before the end of his career is to reach 1000 goals, and he rarely passes the ball in 50/50 situations.
