Portugal have been warned they face a serious commercial fallout once Cristiano Ronaldo brings his international career to a close. Daniel Sa, executive director of the Portuguese Institute of Marketing Administration, believes the national team’s commercial standing is so closely tied to the 41 year old that the federation must act now to prepare for life after him.
Ronaldo confirmed the 2026 World Cup was his sixth and final appearance at the tournament, though he has left his international future open. Sa argues that whenever the forward does step away, Portugal risk losing a huge share of the media attention and revenue he has generated for the national team over more than two decades.
Sa believes Ronaldo’s value to Portuguese football goes well beyond what happens on the pitch, and that his departure will be difficult to offset. He said Ronaldo has helped the Portuguese Football Federation secure major commercial contracts throughout his career and called on the governing body to build a new narrative for the years ahead.
“It might be a bit harsh to say, but from a brand perspective, Ronaldo is incomparably bigger than the entire Portuguese national team and countless others combined,” he told the Lusa news agency. “I’m not making a sporting analysis, but a brand analysis: it will be a tragedy when he leaves, because people still don’t grasp the media attention that will be lost. We’ll be falling down a high speed escalator.
“He’s the one who makes them sign numerous contracts and earn a lot of money for over 20 years. I believe the federation is preparing a different narrative, because it can’t be dependent on just one person and needs to present other types of arguments. Obviously, there is more to Portuguese football than Ronaldo, but they should explore this new strategy well.”
Sa said Ronaldo’s playing career now represents only part of his commercial worth, pointing to his social media following, sponsorship portfolio and business interests as evidence his profile will keep growing once he retires. “Alongside the player, there is Ronaldo the influencer, who is the biggest in the world and the most followed person on social media, Ronaldo sponsored by several national and international brands, and Ronaldo the investor in multiple industries. After he stops playing, this brand will continue to grow,” he explained.
Portugal were eliminated from the 2026 World Cup at the last 16 stage, beaten 1-0 by eventual champions Spain. With Ronaldo’s international future still unresolved, Sa believes the federation should use the coming period to build the national team’s identity independent of one of football’s biggest names.
