From Jota to Felix - the contenders to replace Ronaldo as Portugal's World Cup star

The 37-year-old has seen his role change at Manchester United this season after falling down the pecking order under new head coach Erik ten Hag.

Advertisement

With the World Cup in Qatar coming up, Ronaldo is facing an unusual situation by his own high standards.

As well as struggling for United, one of the Portugal's biggest publications, A Bola, criticised the forward's involvement for the national team by running the headline: 'menos Ronaldo, mais Portugal', which translates into 'less Ronaldo, more Portugal'.

Advertisement

That criticism led to an impassioned defence from his sister, Katia Aveiro, who threw her support behind Ronaldo with a lengthy post on Instagram where she said 'Portugal spit on the plate they eat from'.

While Ronaldo is surely expected to be a part of Portugal's squad for the World Cup this winter, his role in the starting XI may not be so certain.

Manager Fernando Santos has an embarrassment of riches in the final third, which means the five-time Ballon D'or winner is far from guaranteed his spot in the side.

Here, talkSPORT.com looks at the five options who could replace Ronaldo as Portugal's attacking talisman.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Joao Felix

Felix was heavily tipped as a future Ballon D'or winner when he burst onto the scene with Benfica.

In 2019, he moved to Atletico Madrid for £113million and has showed glimpses of his talent with 29 goals and 18 assists in 119 games.

Advertisement

For the 22-year-old, now is the time to step up as Portugal's main man.

Felix has scored just three times in 23 appearances for his country and perhaps that is down to Ronaldo's presence stifling his potential.

The Atletico forward is undoubtedly the future for Portugal and whenever Ronaldo steps aside, it'll surely be Felix who will be expected to step up.

Advertisement

Diogo Jota

The Liverpool forward could be a ready-made option to lead the line for Portugal.

While showing his quality with Wolves, Jota has taken his game to the next level since joining Liverpool in 2020 where he has scored 34 goals in 88 appearances.

In addition to that, he has bagged 10 goals in 28 appearances for his country.

Advertisement

With Ronaldo playing as a centre forward for his country, the bulk of Jota's efforts have come from the left flank, a role he has really made his own.

However his form for Liverpool has certainly showed that he's capable of playing through the middle at the highest level and this could be something that Santos looks to explore.

Rafael Leao

Advertisement

The AC Milan striker is the new kid on the block when it comes to the Portuguese national team.

Since joining the Italian side from Lille in 2019, Leao has bagged 30 goals and 27 appearances in 123 appearances for his side, as well as helping Milan to last year's Serie A title.

For his country, the 23-year-old only made his senior debut in October 2021 but has already won 11 caps.

While many of them have come off the bench and playing on either flank, the removal of Ronaldo from the side could allow the Milan striker to play his natural role and show his undoubted quality.

Advertisement

Given his age and proven pedigree, there's no doubt that Leao could be a big player for Portugal moving forward.

Pedro Neto

Perhaps something of wildcard option to lead the line for Portugal.

Advertisement

Neto is regarded as one of the most promising stars in the country having really found his feet for Wolves since joining the club in 2019.

While predominantly a winger, the 22-year-old has managed 11 goals and 12 assists for the Premier League side.

The chances of him playing as a centre forward for Portugal are limited, however should Santos be looking for a quick and nippy option to play off the shoulder, the Wolves star could be a surprise contender.

Advertisement

Goncalo Guedes

The forward may be a newcomer to the Premier League, but not to the Portuguese side.

The 25-year-old made his name with Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain and Valencia where he managed 47 goals and 47 assists over eight years since bursting onto the scene.

Those years saw him make his Portugal debut back in 2015, being the first 18-year-old to win his first Portugal cap since that man, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Advertisement

Since then, Guedes has scored seven goals in 31 appearances for his country, as well as earning a move to Wolves over the summer.

His time at Molineux may be in its infancy, but the versatile forward may well be given a chance to show his quality given that he's a trusted part of the Portuguese senior setup.