Portugal shines brighter after Ronaldo's farewell in Nations League

After Cristiano Ronaldo's retirement, Portugal shines brighter in international football (Futebol), while the team in the Nations League faces its first match since his departure and leads the group with four wins from four games.

Quiet preparation in Lisbon

At the Cidade do Futebol there is currently calm, as the team at the headquarters near Lisbon prepares for the final Nations League matches. On Saturday Portugal hosts Denmark, and on Tuesday the away trip to Wales follows.

Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has officially ended his career with the Portuguese national team. After the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, he was no longer the first choice for coach Jorge Jesus.

In the Nations League opening match against Wales he was still in the starting lineup, but was substituted in the 67th minute. In the subsequent game in Norway he spent the full 90 minutes on the bench, then left the team quarters and boycotted the matches in Denmark and Norway before announcing his retirement.

Wesley Sneijder says Jorge Jesus disrespected CR7 in Portugal farewell

Coach Jorge Jesus, who took over from Roberto Martinez after the World Cup, has the task of rejuvenating and reshaping the squad, seeing no place for the 41‑year‑old Ronaldo. Portugal leads Group 4 decisively with four wins from four games and has already qualified for the quarter‑finals.

The 1‑0 victory over Wales, in which Ronaldo still played from the start, was by far the team's weakest performance. Without him the Selecao suddenly feels different: the attacking play is more varied, the intense counter‑pressing stronger, and players who previously operated in the superstar's shadow such as Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, João Félix and Francisco Conceição play more freely. Ronaldo was for years a fixed star who always demanded the ball, and now the star is no longer Ronaldo, but the team.

Gonçalo Ramos, who took Ronaldo's place on the field, scored in all three games without “CR7”. His shirt is now worn by Rafael Leão, as required by UEFA rules for Nations League matches. In this form Portugal has a good chance of winning the Nations League for a third time next year, as they are the defending champions.