Cristiano Ronaldo’s pursuit of his 1,000th career goal has encountered an unexpected pause as recent decisions have seen the veteran forward sidelined from starting positions with the Portugal national team. The 38-year-old star, who has accumulated 146 international goals and 958 goals for club and country combined, has yet to add to his tally after two matches within a week.

On Thursday, Ronaldo captained Portugal in a 1-0 victory over Wales in Lisbon. He played 67 minutes before being substituted for Goncalo Ramos. During the match, Ronaldo believed he had scored his 980th career goal, but the effort was disallowed due to a marginal offside call. Four days later, in a match against Norway in Oslo, Ronaldo was not in the starting lineup, with Ramos taking his place and scoring the winning goal.

Portugal’s new manager, Jorge Jesus, who has been in charge only a few weeks, made a decisive tactical call by benching Ronaldo for the full 90 minutes in the Oslo fixture. Initially, Jesus had agreed to bring Ronaldo on for the last half hour but later reversed the decision, citing the tactical nature of the game and the ongoing performance of Goncalo Ramos as reasons for the change. Jesus explained that the team required a player with different characteristics to maintain balance and secure the result.

Jesus emphasized that the decision was not related to Ronaldo’s physical fitness, stating the forward was fully capable of playing the entire match. “He had the same opportunity as the others to play,” the manager said, stressing that Ronaldo remains available for selection and that his playing time will be determined by tactical considerations. Jesus indicated that Ronaldo could be involved in upcoming matches, including Thursday’s fixture against Denmark at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen.

This recent development marks a shift from the longstanding perception that Ronaldo held significant influence over his involvement with the national team during his 234 appearances for Portugal. The responsibility now firmly lies with Jorge Jesus to manage player selection and tactics. Whether Ronaldo will regain a starting role remains to be seen, but his status within the squad is reportedly equal to that of his teammates under the current management.