During their November international break, Portugal has once again been the epicenter of the debate that has been going on for ages in the football world: Are Selecão better with or without Cristiano Ronaldo? This discussion went viral after the 40-year-old was shown the door in a 2-0 defeat against the Republic of Ireland, and then Portugal’s incredible 9-1 rout of Armenia without him.
After his red card for elbowing Dara O’Shea, Ronaldo went back to Saudi Arabia. He is still, however, the record-holder for the most international goals with a total of 143 goals and 37 assists in 226 matches. The legacy he has built is beyond doubt, but people still argue about his spot in the team – just like it was in the 2022 World Cup when he didn’t play in the quarter-final loss to Morocco.
In fact, since the last World Cup, Ronaldo has been able to score his goals again and he has already scored 25 goals in 30 games. At the same time, Portugal have played 36 games, winning 70% with Ronaldo on the pitch and scoring 2.2 goals per game on average. When he is not there, the team win rate is only slightly lower than that – 66.6% is the figure. Yet, the number of goals shoots up to 4.8 per game. But as there are only six matches without his presence, these statistics should be approached with care.
The Portuguese manager Roberto Martinez said that the team will be stronger if the captain is on the pitch to help them . After the Armenia match, he said: “We are better with Ronaldo, Nuno Mendes and Pedro Neto,” and he also talked about how important it is to have a strong bench and squad.
PSG’s striker, Gonçalo Ramos, has scored 10 times in 22 appearances, is probably the best option to play if Ronaldo is to be dropped take over if Ronaldo is dropped, but cannot be ruled out nonetheless. Rafael Leão is also an option, but he cannot be relied upon to be the center striker.
The decision? Portugal are still at their best when they have Ronaldo at the forefront. But as the veteran is making it clear that next year’s World Cup will be his final international tournament, the real challenge of how to cope without Ronaldo is just starting.
