The national team captain was sent off in the surprising 2-0 defeat against the Republic of Ireland, and won’t be at Estadio do Dragao to try and secure another World Cup qualification - the fifth of CR7’s career.
At 40, Ronaldo’s legacy with Portugal is unmatched. With 226 appearances, he’s the most capped player in history, already with over 80 more games than Joao Moutinho - the second most capped. But it’s in the goal tally that Ronaldo truly stands apart.
With a total of 143 goals, he leads the national team’s scoring chart by almost 100 goals ahead of Pauleta (47), their second-leading scorer in history, and 102 more than Eusebio (41) - who will be honoured at Estadio do Dragao.
But without Ronaldo, who can step up and score for Portugal?
Bruno Fernandes closing in on Rui Costa
Ronaldo’s presence leading the attack for so many years has meant he’s had a near-monopoly on goals for the national team, so the other players in Roberto Martínez’s squad aren’t as used to celebrating with the team.
With the Al Nassr star absent, Bruno Fernandes is the top scorer among the Spanish coach’s current options. The Manchester United midfielder returns after suspension and, if he scores against Armenia, he’ll match the tally of Rui Costa, now Benfica’s president, with 26 goals for Portugal.
The 31-year-old midfielder is closest to the top five, which starts with Nuno Gomes (29 goals), and alongside the names already mentioned, also includes Luís Figo (32 goals). But the rest of the squad are far from the numbers of the former Sporting player.
Looking for goal scorers
In recent years, Portugal have struggled to find players capable of sharing the goal-scoring burden with Ronaldo. Andre Silva (19 goals) had a good spell with the national team, but he’s been out of the squad for some time, so the next name up is Bernardo Silva.
The Manchester City player has scored 14 goals for Portugal, but holds the lowest strike rate among the top 20 national team scorers.
With 106 caps, the left-footer has the same number of goals as the late Diogo Jota, who played 49 times for Portugal. Other names like Simao Sabrosa (22 goals in 85 games) and Sergio Conceicao (12 goals in 56 appearances) highlight Bernardo Silva’s low average.
The Benfica academy graduate has a record of 0.13 goals per game, just above Bruno Alves’ 0.11 goals per game (96 caps, 11 goals, and a defender), and below Joao Cancelo’s numbers (12 goals in 63 games), for example.
But the concerns go beyond Bernardo Silva. Apart from the names already mentioned and Joao Felix, who has 11 goals for Portugal, no other player in the squad has scored more than 10 goals for the national team.
Goncalo Ramos, Ronaldo’s perennial understudy, boasts a notable average, with a goal every 0.43 games for Portugal, and could reach double digits if he scores against Armenia.
Finally, there’s Rafael Leao, with just five goals in 42 appearances, and Diogo Dalot, with three goals in 31 games for Portugal.
For context, among active players, names like Goncalo Guedes (seven), William Carvalho (five), Ricardo Horta (four), and Raphael Guerreiro (four) would make this top eight if they’d been called up for this international window.
On Sunday, Portugal needs to find the net to secure their ticket to the World Cup 2026. Without Ronaldo, who will take on the responsibility?