Portugal Just Won 4–2 Without Ronaldo And Now the Conversation Gets Interesting
Cristiano Ronaldo left Portugal's camp.
A day later, Portugal went to Copenhagen and beat Denmark 4–2.
No Ronaldo.
No collapse.
No cautious performance.
Four goals.
And suddenly, the conversation has changed.
I'm not saying Portugal don't need Ronaldo.
That would be ridiculous after one match.
But I am saying something has become very clear:
Portugal can function without him.
And that's a much more interesting development.
Gonçalo Ramos started in Ronaldo's place and immediately made his case. He assisted João Cancelo for the opener, then scored Portugal's second. Vitinha and João Félix added the other goals as Portugal pulled away after Denmark had twice equalised.
That's not a bad response from a team that had just lost its captain in the middle of a controversy.
But here's where I'm not buying the easy narrative
The internet will probably turn this into:
“Portugal don't need Ronaldo anymore.”
Too easy.
Ronaldo is still Portugal's record goalscorer and most-capped player.
One 4–2 victory doesn't erase everything he has done for that team.
But the opposite argument that Portugal automatically struggle without him, also took a hit.
That's what makes this fascinating.
Ramos deserves attention
Because this wasn't simply Portugal winning despite Ronaldo's absence.
Ramos actually played the role Ronaldo would normally occupy.
And he was directly involved in two goals.
That's important.
Not because Ramos has suddenly “replaced Ronaldo.”
He hasn't.
But because Portugal now have evidence that there is another way to build their attack.
And perhaps that's exactly what Jorge Jesus wanted to explore when he left Ronaldo on the bench against Norway and again chose not to start him against Denmark.
Ronaldo then left the camp after Jesus's press conference, saying he would explain his reasons “in due course.”
And this is where things get uncomfortable
Portugal winning without Ronaldo doesn't mean the Ronaldo situation is solved.
Actually, it might make the situation even more interesting.
Because now Jesus can point to the pitch.
His team scored four goals.
They responded after Denmark equalised.
They kept going.
And they won.
Jorge Jesus himself described it as a high-quality victory and said the performance could not be overlooked.
So where does Ronaldo fit when he returns?
If he returns.
That's the question.
Because we still don't know exactly why he left.
Ronaldo hasn't announced his international retirement.
He has said he will eventually explain what happened.
Until then, anything beyond the confirmed facts is speculation.
Maybe the real story isn't Ronaldo
Maybe it's Portugal.
A national team that has spent years revolving around one of the greatest players football has ever produced is now being forced to discover what it looks like without him.
And they just produced four goals.
That's worth watching.
Not because Ronaldo has suddenly become irrelevant.
But because Portugal may have just shown that their future doesn't necessarily have to wait for his final decision.
Now I'm curious about something.
If Ronaldo returns for the next international break, should Jorge Jesus immediately put him back into the starting XI?
Or should he make Ronaldo earn his place like everybody else?
That's where I think the real debate begins.