Cristiano Ronaldo starred in an unusual event with the Portugal team during the 2-1 victory against Norway, for the second day of the UEFA Nations League. The 41-year-old forward remained on the bench for the 90 minutes and did not play a single minute, something that had not happened in an official match with the Portuguese team since Euro 2008.
The decision corresponded to coach Jorge Jesus, who explained before the match that he was looking to manage his captain’s minutes after Ronaldo played nearly 70 minutes in the win against Wales.
“Today is the third day. Ronaldo played about 70 minutes in the game against Wales and I felt like I couldn’t start two consecutive games today,” the coach explained.
Jesus had also indicated that he wanted to have Ronaldo during the four matches of this international date, even if it was for a few minutes. However, he finally decided to keep him on the bench throughout the match.
Cristiano Ronaldo, 18 years later
The substitution had a historical peculiarity. The last time Cristiano Ronaldo had spent 90 minutes on the Portugal bench in an official match was during Euro 2008, in the match against Switzerland.
On that occasion, Portugal had already secured its qualification for the quarterfinals, so the then coach Luiz Felipe Scolari decided to rest several of its main figures.
Since then, Ronaldo had had a practically constant presence in Portugal’s official commitments when he was available. The situation changed this Sunday in Norway, where he once again watched a complete game from the bench.
The most recent history of a complete match as a substitute had been in June 2024, although on that occasion it was a friendly against Croatia played in Lisbon, before the Euro Cup.
Gonçalo Ramos took his place
The absence of Ronaldo in the starting eleven allowed Gonçalo Ramos to appear as a starter in the Portuguese attack. The Paris Saint-Germain forward responded with a decisive performance and scored one of Portugal’s goals.
Ronaldo, for his part, showed an active attitude from the bench during the match. The Portuguese captain came up to greet several of his teammates when they were substituted, including Ramos himself.
However, after the final whistle a scene occurred that caught particular attention.
While the Portuguese footballers, both starters and substitutes, headed towards the stands to thank their fans for their support and celebrate the victory, Ronaldo took the path to the locker room directly.
The gesture was striking due to the forward’s regular participation in the celebrations after Portugal matches. However, no public explanation was known that would allow his decision to be related to the substitution.
Portugal keeps pace
Beyond Ronaldo’s situation, Portugal achieved an important 2-1 victory against Norway and maintains its good start in the Nations League.
For Jorge Jesus, managing the forward’s minutes is part of the need to physically manage a 41-year-old player who continues to be one of the main figures of the national team.
The great peculiarity of the day remained, however, in the historical record: Cristiano Ronaldo once again spent 90 minutes on the Portugal bench in an official match for the first time since 2008, almost two decades after that night against Switzerland.
