According to rumours, Cristiano Ronaldo won’t serve as Portugal’s mascot in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Ronaldo won’t be catching a glimpse of himself this winter since he is likely to be overlooked. For each side competing in the event, one player will be picked to have a massive 75-foot billboard stretched over Doha’s buildings.
According to ESPN, Ronaldo will be passed over as Portugal’s chosen player on their poster in favor of either Bruno Fernandes, a teammate at Manchester United, or Diogo Jota, a player at Liverpool.
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Many will be surprised by Portugal’s choice to ignore the player who became the all-time leading international goal scorer last year.
Ronaldo, who broke Ali Daei’s 109-goal record with a brace against Ireland, now has 117 international goals in 191 appearances—yet even this is insufficient to get a World Cup banner.
By selecting a younger member of the squad, Portugal appears to be accepting a new direction for their national team and preparing for life without their hero.
The 37-year-old has been in dismal form by his own standards, with only two goals in his past nine competitive outings for his country.
However, Ronaldo may not be alone in missing out on having his own giant poster.
Argentina hasn’t decided who will be on its poster, and Lionel Messi might end up sitting beside Ronaldo.
The Messi and Ronaldo period, where the two have dominated world football for well over a decade, may come to an end if both megastars fail to qualify.
Other nations have already confirmed who would appear on these recently ordered posters as their national team.
Luka Modric was chosen by Croatia, and Sadio Mane by Senegal, to be shown on the buildings.
