Who will replace Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal after star striker's dramatic walkout?

Cristiano Ronaldo’s epic international career could be over after the Portugal sensationally left the national team camp amid reports of a rift with head coach Jorge Jesus.

Benched for Portugal’s Nations League win in Norway on Sunday, not playing a single minute, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner .

Whether or not that was the 234-cap, 146-cap 41-year-old’s final act as a Portugal player, the debate Whether or not that proved to be the 234-cap, 146-cap 41-year-old’s final act in international football, the debate about who will take over from him as Portugal’s first-choice centre-forward has inevitably intensified.

Strikers who could replace Ronaldo for Portugal

Portugal are short of options when it comes to out-and-out strikers, but here are five who could step up in the interim or on a longer-term basis…

Goncalo Ramos

Goncalo Ramos is the outstanding candidate to be Ronaldo’s long-term successor as Portugal’s attacking spearhead.

It looked like he would assume the role when he burst onto the scene four years ago with the first World Cup knockout-stage hat-trick in over three decades – after then Portugal boss Fernando Santos threw a curveball by starting him over Ronaldo for the last-16 tie against Switzerland.

But that ultimately proved to be a false dawn: Ronaldo remained top dog through the next Euros and the most recent World Cup, with Ramos scoring just once across the two tournaments amid limited opportunities.

Having to play second fiddle to an ageing and fading Ronaldo arguably stunted his development – though probably not as much as finding himself fighting (and inevitably failing – which is absolutely no slight on him) to dislodge Kylian Mbappe then Ousmane Dembele at PSG.

But now really should be Ramos’ time. Having moved to AC Milan – where he scored on his debut though hasn’t found the net since – he’s playing regular club football again – and the same should go for the international stage, where he started over Ronaldo and scored the winner against Norway.

At 25, Ramos is, in theory, about to hit his prime as a striker. Only time will tell if the aforementioned previous competition has held him back, but he ought to be readier than anyone else if now is the time for a changing of the guard.

Gustavo Varela

Yet to be capped at senior level, Gustavo Varela has helped himself to a few goals for Portugal’s U21 side since debuting for them last year.

The 21-year-old has made a fine start to life at Monza after joining from Benfica this summer, scoring four goals in four Serie A appearances – and six in five in all competitions.

If he keeps on going as he is, a first senior call-up feels only a matter of time away for Varela – whose father Fernando earned 51 caps for Cape Verde.

Goncalo Paciencia

At 32, Goncalo Paciencia won’t be Portugal’s long-term solution post-Ronaldo, but they could do worse as a stop-gap.

Playing for Azores-based club Santa Clara, Paciencia is among the leading scorers in the Portuguese top flight, the Liga Portugal, early in 2026/27 with five goals in seven games to help his team sit fourth in the table.

The former Eintracht Frankfurt man has been capped twice before, though the most recent of those appearances came seven years ago – when he scored his only international goal in a 6-0 thrashing of Lithuania.

Paulinho

Maybe even more of a wildcard option, Paulinho plays his club football for Toluca in Mexico – where he’s racked up 63 goals in 92 games since making the switch from Sporting CP two years ago.

He turns 34 in November, but he was recalled to the Portugal squad in March after almost five years away – where he took his caps tally to five but was unable to add to his two international goals.

Youssef Chermiti

Youssef Chermiti won’t be turning out for Portugal any time soon – he’s expected to miss most of the season with a knee injury – but the Rangers striker could be in the mix down the line.

While he failed to score in 22 Premier League appearances for Everton, he enjoyed a strong debut campaign north of the border last term with 15 goals in the Scottish Premiership – and given he doesn’t turn 23 until next May, his best years ought to still be ahead of him.