Ronaldo's exit leaves Portugal facing jersey sales and friendly-match commercial challenge

Cristiano Ronaldo's announcement of his retirement from the Portugal national team is not only the loss of a world-class forward on the pitch, it has also created a major commercial shock for football in the country.

Daniel Sa, director of the Portuguese Institute of Marketing Administration and a sports market specialist, told Spanish news agency EFE in an interview that Portugal has lost the biggest personal commercial asset in its history.

In his view, the CR7 brand's contribution to the national team's international acceptance and promotion was extraordinary, and it will be almost impossible for any current Portuguese footballer to fill that gap in the short term.

Statistics also testify to this commercial value. A 2025 study by Daniel Sa's institute found that the CR7 brand alone was worth 850 million euros on the world market, about 325 percent more than in 2020.

Ronaldo scored 88 out of 100 on the global popularity index for sport. With more than one billion followers on social media, he had himself become a global publicity medium, which presented the Portugal national team on the world stage.

Despite the departure of such a huge brand, however, Daniel Sa does not believe the Portuguese Football Federation's revenue will collapse immediately.

He explains that the federation's current sponsorship deals with multinational companies are based not on any single player, but on the rights of the national team and the institution.

In addition, Portugal's regular participation in major global tournaments and the group of talented stars in the team will preserve the side's initial appeal. Whether a major disaster is happening to the federation's overall income will therefore need more time to assess, he said.

Even so, Daniel Sa has identified two specific areas of major weakness for Portuguese football: official merchandise sales, and the commercial demand for matches on the international market.

The famous number 7 jersey associated with Ronaldo had become a global asset, and no one who can quickly match its huge sales will be easy to find.

Inside Portugal, the bond between ordinary fans and the team means the impact on domestic tickets will be smaller; but for friendly or exhibition matches abroad, the main attraction for organisers and spectators was Ronaldo alone. Portugal will therefore face a new challenge in holding on to the team's international commercial appeal and match fees.