Should Ronaldo be a super-sub? How Portugal can win the next World Cup

Always keen to set new milestones - such as scoring his 900th career goal just last week - he could yet emulate recently retired teammate Pepe by representing the Selecao at the grand age of 41.

However, asked about the prospect of captaining his country to glory at the next World Cup, he claimed it was not a priority, as previous successes at Euro 2016 and the 2019 UEFA Nations League were already enough.

"Portugal winning the Euros is equivalent to winning a World Cup," Ronaldo claimed. "I've already won two trophies that I really wanted, so I'm not motivated by that. I'm motivated by enjoying football and the records come naturally."

No matter his motivation, a superb second-half showing against Scotland suggests that the Saudi-based striker is not finished just yet.

With younger rivals eagerly vying for his place, though, Sports Mole investigates what Ronaldo's role should be in an ambitious Portugal squad building towards 2026.

A Nations League masterclass: 900 up and super-sub heroics

Midway through his 40th year, Ronaldo wrote his name into the record books once again, becoming the first man to reach 900 goals in official games for club and country when scoring in Portugal's UEFA Nations League win over Croatia.

"It means a lot," he said after the match. "It was a milestone I wanted to reach for a long time. I knew I would reach this number, because as I continue to play, it would happen naturally."

Of course, the ex-Real Madrid star was not content with that landmark achievement, soon following his 131st international goal with another - a dramatic late winner against Scotland on Sunday evening.

The Selecao found themselves 1-0 down early on but then dominated proceedings without managing to pull a goal back, so - after starting against Croatia three days earlier - Ronaldo made a rare appearance from off the bench.

Former Manchester United teammate Bruno Fernandes equalised and Ronaldo hit the woodwork twice, in addition to setting up a chance for Joao Felix with a clever backheel, which the Chelsea forward then missed.

His moment would finally come in the 88th minute, converting a Nuno Mendes cross from close range and sending the Lisbon crowd into a frenzy by celebrating with a trademark 'Siuu!'

As if it were a World Cup final, Ronaldo then sprinted along the touchline, gesturing and yelling - perhaps piqued by effectively being dropped by Portugal boss Roberto Martinez.

Having now scored 901 professional goals, few would bet against him reaching four figures in the fullness of time - and the Madeira-born megastar clearly believes he can do so.

"I want to reach 1,000 goals," he said recently. "If I don't have any injuries, this for me is the most important. I want that."

But, individual targets aside, how long can Ronaldo go on being his country's 'captain fantastic', as time inevitably takes its toll on both body and mind?

Beginning of the end?

At his advanced football age and with a switch to Saudi Arabia inevitably creating claims that Ronaldo should step aside from international duty, each Portugal camp results in speculation about his future - and that will not change between now and the summer of 2026.

For all the Al-Nassr star's heroics this month, few will forget a series of ineffective displays at Euro 2024, where he spent more time moaning and gesticulating at officials and teammates - and fending off pitch invaders - than celebrating success.

Consistently chosen to start by Martinez, he failed to score in any of the Selecao's five games in Germany, with his most memorable moment being some tearful antics against Slovenia after missing a crucial penalty.

Portugal were ultimately eliminated by France in the quarter-finals, and some suggested that 'CR7' should follow his old friend Pepe through the exit door, leaving behind a long list of golden memories in the red and green kit of his country.

However, Martinez has shown little inclination to reduce his team's longstanding dependence on Ronaldo to get results and continues to defend his veteran striker without fail.

"Dependence? He's an incredible player. There's no dependence," Martinez recently said. "He's an asset. In front of goal, he's very important. His intelligence in opening up spaces is important."

Tellingly, though - for the first time - the ex-Belgium boss did declare that Ronaldo would definitely not start every game between now and his team's tilt at an elusive World Cup crown in 2026, should Portugal qualify as expected.

"He can't play two consecutive matches of 90 minutes. He has to be there for the end of the match, not the start. We have to protect all the players."

Time to herald a new era?

That latter statement surely includes 'protecting' younger stars, some of whom have proven ready to help Portugal attack with more fluency and defend more effectively from the front.

A sensation was caused when former boss Fernando Santos started Goncalo Ramos instead of Ronaldo in a last-16 clash with Switzerland at the last World Cup, but the younger man rattled in a hat-trick and laid on an assist in a swashbuckling 6-1 success.

The Paris Saint-Germain striker has since failed to fully realise his potential, but perhaps Portugal's best performances of the Martinez era indicate a future where Ronaldo is used as against Scotland last week, starring as a deluxe super-sub.

Liverpool's Diogo Jota linked up with Ramos in a ruthless 9-0 destruction of Luxembourg late last year, before Ramos led the line in a 5-2 friendly win over Sweden.

Jota has already earned Arne Slot's approval for intelligently operating as a 'false nine', and at international level he can link up with left-winger Rafael Leao to share the burden of replacing Ronaldo in Portugal's starting XI.

Surely the process of phasing out a national icon should continue along this path, if Martinez does indeed have the fortitude to bench his talisman in bigger games.

That would benefit all - but only if Cristiano's ego will allow it.

Speaking before Portugal's Nations League get-together, he said: "Those who know me, they know that here in the Selecao I'm like an older brother, or even like a father to some! I try and help (new players) integrate well, because I also went through this process and was always well received in the Selecao, and the Selecao is a family."

In that spirit, primarily playing a super-sub role over the final years of his historic career could finally result in Portugal's latest 'golden generation' fulfilling their potential and lifting the 2026 World Cup.