A first in 18 years: Ronaldo substituted and upset? CR7 skipped the celebrations with the fans after Norway-Portugal

While Portugal pulled off a great result with their 2-1 victory over Norway in the Nations League on Sunday, Cristiano Ronaldo spent the entire match on the bench. This was a first in an official match since Euro 2008. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner went straight to the dressing room at the final whistle, without going to greet the fans like his teammates.

It's a major event in Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo, a legend of Portuguese football, spent the entire match on the substitutes' bench. On Sunday evening in Norway, Jorge Jesus's team won 2-1 in the second round of the Nations League. Without CR7. While Ronaldo didn't feature against Croatia in a friendly in 2024, this is the first time he has missed an official match since 2008 (against Switzerland at the Euros, when Portugal had already qualified for the quarterfinals).

This didn't prevent the Portuguese national team from defeating Erling Haaland's teammates, with Joao Felix and Gonçalo Ramos scoring and Ruben Dias taking the captain's armband. Cristiano Ronaldo, who started against Wales on Thursday (1-0), watched his teammates play before warming up along the touchline at the end of the match, without actually playing.

Jorge Jesus: "He was in top form"

"I had agreed with him that he would come on for the last half hour but the scenario of the match did not require it. Gonçalo Ramos was playing well, he scored, another goal was disallowed for him, and I felt that it was not the right time to replace him," explained Seleção coach Jorge Jesus.

While the debate surrounding the fitness of 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo and his playing time rages in Portugal, Jorge Jesus, who coached Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, insisted he didn't want to hold him back: "He was in top form and could have played as long as I wanted. We had to bring on another player to ensure balance and the result. That doesn't mean he's out, quite the opposite. Maybe he'll play against Denmark."

Was the star upset about not getting on the pitch against Norway? It's possible. Ronaldo, despite being Portugal's captain, went straight to the locker room as soon as the final whistle blew, while all his teammates, including the substitutes, went to greet the fans in the Oslo stadium. "I didn't even realize it," reacted Gabriel Jesus, before being asked about the reasons for this behavior: "Only he can answer that," the Portuguese player deflected.