Cristiano Ronaldo’s status as the savior of Portuguese football is in question ahead of the World Cup.
The 37-year-old has seen his role change at Manchester United this season after falling down the pecking order under new head coach Erik ten Hag.
As the World Cup in Qatar approaches, Ronaldo faces an unusual situation by his own high standards.
As well as struggling for United, one of Portugal’s biggest publications, A Bola, criticized the forward’s involvement with the national team, captioning: ‘Menos Ronaldo, but Portugal’, which translates to ‘ less Ronaldo, more Portugal”.
This criticism led to an impassioned defense from his sister, Katia Aveiro, who lent her support to Ronaldo with a lengthy Instagram post where she said ‘Portugal spits in the plate they eat from’.
While Ronaldo should surely be part of Portugal’s squad for the World Cup this winter, his role in the starting XI might not be so certain.
Manager Fernando Santos is spoiled for riches in the final third, meaning the five-time Ballon D’or winner is far from assured of his place in the team.
Here talkSPORT.com takes a look at the five options that could replace Ronaldo as Portugal’s attacking talisman.
Joao Felix
Felix was strongly tipped as a future Ballon D’or winner when he burst onto the scene with Benfica.
In 2019 he moved to Atletico Madrid for £113million and showed glimpses of his talent with 29 goals and 18 assists in 119 games.
For the 22-year-old, now is the time to become Portugal’s main man.
Felix has scored just three times in 23 appearances for his country and perhaps that’s down to Ronaldo’s presence stifling his potential.
The Atletico striker is undoubtedly Portugal’s future and whenever Ronaldo steps down, it will surely be Felix who will have to step in.
Diogo Jota
The Liverpool striker could be a ready-made option to lead the line for Portugal.
While showing his quality with Wolves, Jota has taken his game to the next level since joining Liverpool in 2020 where he scored 34 goals in 88 appearances.
Besides that, he scored 10 goals in 28 appearances for his country.
With Ronaldo playing as a centre-forward for his country, the bulk of Jota’s effort has come from the left flank, a role he has truly made his own.
However, his form for Liverpool has certainly shown that he is capable of playing in the middle at the highest level and that could be something Santos are looking to explore.
Raphael Leao
The AC Milan striker is the newcomer as far as the Portuguese national team is concerned.
Since joining Italian side Lille in 2019, Leao has netted 30 goals and 27 appearances in 123 appearances for his side, while helping Milan win the Serie A title last year.
For his country, the 23-year-old only made his senior debut in October 2021 but has already earned 11 caps.
While many of them have come off the bench and are playing on both flanks, Ronaldo’s withdrawal from the side could allow the Milan striker to play his natural role and show his undoubted quality.
Given his age and proven pedigree, there’s no doubt that Leao could be a great player for Portugal in the future.
pedro neto
Maybe something generic option to lead the line for Portugal.
Neto is seen as one of the country’s most promising stars having really found his feet for Wolves since joining the club in 2019.
Despite being primarily a winger, the 22-year-old has managed 11 goals and 12 assists for the Premier League side.
The chances of him playing as a centre-forward for Portugal are limited, but if Santos were looking for a fast and fast option to play over the shoulder, the Wolves star could be a surprise candidate.
Goncalo Guedes
The striker may be a newcomer to the Premier League, but not to the Portuguese side.
The 25-year-old made a name for himself with Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain and Valencia where he managed 47 goals and 47 assists in the eight years since he came on the scene.
Those years saw him make his Portugal debut in 2015, being the first 18-year-old to earn his first Portugal cap since that man, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Since then, Guedes has scored seven goals in 31 appearances for his country, as well as earning a move to Wolves over the summer.
His move to Molineux may still be in its infancy, but the versatile striker could well get a chance to show his quality given he is a trusted part of the Portuguese senior setup.