Who could replace Cristiano Ronaldo as Portugal’s new starting striker?

 Behind the legend, a golden generation embodied by Gonçalo Ramos and João Félix is impatiently waiting in the wings. Which of them could lay claim to the Seleçao legend’s place?

While Lionel Messi was scoring a hat-trick for Argentina in their tournament opener, Cristiano Ronaldo managed three shots without hitting the target against DR Congo. 

The contrast could hardly have been more cruel for Portugal’s number seven, who was playing what was arguably the most symbolic match of his career on Wednesday night in Houston: his sixth World Cup.

At 41, still dreaming of lifting the only trophy missing from his collection, he delivered a blank, ghostly performance, disconnected from the team’s collective play. Portugal could only manage a draw against DR Congo, and the very next day, the Portuguese press was clear: Ronaldo has become a problem.

"Cristiano Ronaldo seems crushed by the pressure. At this stage, he himself is a problem. But Portugal is heading for disaster because of its stubborn refusal to see what is obvious," wrote columnist Luis Mateus in A Bola.

The same newspaper noted that Ronaldo had "played 90 minutes and missed two goals in uncharacteristic fashion", while another columnist, Alexandre Costa, criticised a "slow and predictable" style of play.

Publico, for its part, commented that "Portugal remains dependent on Conceicao’s flashes of brilliance and the faith placed in Ronaldo. But faith alone is not enough, especially not with today’s Ronaldo."

In a poll published by A Bola, the majority of Portuguese fans said they no longer wanted to see Ronaldo start against Uzbekistan. The newspaper’s editorial team itself opted for Gonçclo Ramos up front and Joao Felix in the starting eleven. A strong signal in a country where criticising the captain remains a high-risk exercise.

Criticising Ronaldo: a forbidden exercise

Joao Neves was the first to pay the price. The scorer of Portugal’s goal and one of the few to emerge with credit, he responded in the mixed zone to a question about Ronaldo’s place in the squad.

"We know what Cristiano has done for our national team and for football. But right now, I feel that from his side and ours, he is one of us, just another player here to help the team, no different from the others," he said,

"He’s here to contribute, like everyone else."

These measured words nevertheless triggered a wave of hatred on social media. His partner was also targeted. Portugal now finds itself split into two camps.

Francisco Conceicao, speaking at a press conference on the eve of the match against Uzbekistan, did not shy away.

"It’s not an obligation to pass him the ball. I pass to whoever I think is best placed and unmarked," he said, adding that Ronaldo is seen as "just another member of the squad".

He did, however, add: "Cristiano is an example because of his career and the determination he still shows at 41. He’s a leader and a goalscorer like no other.

"There’s no one else like him when it comes to scoring goals." He too was immediately subjected to abuse.

Rúben Dias tried to calm things down with a message of appeasement that says little about the real tensions in the dressing room.

"I am completely indifferent to all the questions surrounding this issue, to all the speculation about him, because for me and for all of us, it’s not even a topic.

"We are all together, chasing a dream, and it’s in difficult times that we’ll see what we’re really made of."

The sporting question remains unresolved. Ronaldo is now on a run of ten consecutive matches without scoring in major competitions. His last goal from open play in a major tournament was at Euro 2020, against France in June 2021, nearly five years before the match against Uzbekistan.

This raises legitimate doubts about whether he should continue to start every match at this 2026 World Cup, especially as Portugal boasts a golden generation that can realistically dream of a title in America.

Goncalo Ramos: the natural solution

Ramos' name comes up immediately. In 2022, Fernando Santos dared to start him ahead of Ronaldo in the round of 16 against Switzerland. Ramos responded with a hat-trick and an assist in a 6-1 win.

Since then, he has officially been the designated successor, at least in theory. Roberto Martinez has put Ronaldo back at the heart of the team, relegating the PSG striker to the role of luxury substitute.

In three seasons in Paris, Ramos has scored 14 goals in 2023-2024, 19 in 2024-2025, and 12 in the most recent campaign. This season, he started only 15 of the 44 matches he played, which puts his numbers in perspective but does not call his potential into question.

A natural goalscorer, mobile, able to play with his back to goal or run in behind, he ticks all the boxes of the modern number nine - almost the opposite of what Ronaldo might be in 2026.

Joao Felix: the talent waiting for his chance

According to the Portuguese media, almost no one understood why Joao Felix was not in the starting line-up against DR Congo, especially after impressing in the warm-up matches.

The former Benfica and Atletico Madrid prodigy, now thriving at Al-Nassr, offers a different option as a more technical link-up player, able to play as a false nine or in support of a striker.

Ricardo Quaresma, a national team icon, even called him out on television after the match: "Felix, you’re a good striker. You need to ask the coach to give you more playing time. Things have to change; otherwise we won’t achieve anything."

Rafael Leao and Francisco Conceicao: the wingers who make the difference

They are not out-and-out number nines, but in Martinez’s system, wingers are the most incisive players. Rafael Leao, the AC Milan winger, and Francisco Conceicao, the season’s revelation at Juventus, showed against DR Congo that they could unlock even the tightest games, where Ronaldo was running into a brick wall.

In a system reshaped with a striker who runs in behind, either of them could be freed from defensive duties and have a greater impact on opposing defences.

The decision rests with Martinez - and that’s where it gets complicated

If Martinez continues to rely on Ronaldo, it’s also because Portugal lacks proven centre-forwards in the squad, with Ramos the only other true number nine.

Behind the controversies and the polls, Cristiano Ronaldo’s track record speaks for itself and he remains an unshakeable legend.

Ramos is the most legitimate, Felix the most creative, but neither has enough “weight” to openly demand Ronaldo’s place, even though it is increasingly under threat.

It is telling that Portugal’s most convincing performance in qualifying was the 9-1 win over Armenia, with Ramos leading the line, in a match Ronaldo missed through suspension.

The transition between the two number nines should have begun after the 2022 World Cup. Fernando Santos had started it against Switzerland, but Ronaldo held it against him for a year, eventually costing Santos his job.

Four years on, Portugal finds itself asking exactly the same question, with the added shadow of a World Cup that could well be the last chance for an entire generation.