Portugal may still be winning on the pitch without Cristiano Ronaldo, but the national team has suffered a huge blow off it as millions of followers turn away after his dramatic departure.

Portugal Suffer Huge Blow After Ronaldo Exit as Millions Turn Away

Portugal may still be winning football matches without Cristiano Ronaldo, but the national team has suffered a major blow away from the pitch following the superstar’s dramatic departure.

New figures from Portugal show that the national team’s official social-media accounts have lost a huge number of followers since Ronaldo left the squad.

According to A Bola, Portugal lost more than 1.67 million followers during the first three days of October.

The fall has become one of the clearest signs of Ronaldo’s enormous influence on the global image of Portuguese football.

Portugal lose more than 1.6 million followers

The decline began shortly after Ronaldo left the national-team camp amid growing tension surrounding his relationship with coach Jorge Jesus.

The biggest single fall reportedly came on October 2.

On that day alone, Portugal’s official account lost more than:

1.13 million followers.

The total decline across the first three days of the month passed 1.67 million.

Reports in Portugal said the fall showed no clear sign of slowing down.

Some reports put losses close to two million

Other reports have suggested the total impact across Portugal’s social-media platforms could be even larger.

GOAL, citing Portuguese reports, claimed the overall loss was moving close to two million followers.

Jorge Jesus has also reportedly seen his own follower numbers fall.

The Portugal coach is said to have lost close to 100,000 followers during the controversy.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo’s own social-media accounts continued to gain followers.

A major contrast with Portugal’s results

The situation creates an unusual contrast for the national team.

On the pitch, Portugal have continued to perform strongly without Ronaldo.

They beat Denmark 4-2 following his departure and have continued to produce positive results under Jesus.

Portugal have also secured their place in the Nations League quarter-finals.

So the damage is not currently coming from football results. It is coming from the team’s global image and online popularity.

Ronaldo’s global influence becomes clear

Ronaldo is not only Portugal’s record goalscorer.

He is also one of the most followed athletes in the world and has spent more than two decades as the biggest international face of Portuguese football.

That means his absence can affect much more than the starting XI.

The dramatic fall in followers shows how closely millions of supporters around the world connect Portugal with Ronaldo.

Government official speaks about Ronaldo’s value

The situation has even attracted attention outside football.

Portugal’s Economy Minister Manuel Castro Almeida recently spoke about Ronaldo’s importance to the country’s international image.

He described the superstar as a major asset for Portugal.

The minister also suggested that many people around the world know Portugal because of Ronaldo.

Those comments underline how the current crisis could have an impact far beyond football.

FPF still wants Ronaldo involved

Despite the controversy, the Portuguese Football Federation has not closed the door on Ronaldo.

FPF president Pedro Proença has tried to reduce tension and described the situation as a misunderstanding.

He has also made clear that Ronaldo remains important to Portugal.

The federation is believed to be working behind the scenes to repair the relationship between Ronaldo and Jorge Jesus.

Jorge Jesus leaves door open for Ronaldo

Jesus has also refused to completely close the chapter.

The Portugal coach has said Ronaldo could still return to the national team.

He also made clear that he continues to respect the forward’s importance to Portuguese football.

However, the final decision appears to depend heavily on Ronaldo himself.

The superstar has still not publicly confirmed whether he plans to return.

Ronaldo promised to reveal the truth

After leaving the Portugal camp, Ronaldo said supporters would eventually hear his version of events.

He promised to reveal the “truth” about what happened at the right time.

That statement has created huge interest around his next move.

Until Ronaldo speaks in full, uncertainty around his international future will continue.

Portugal can win without Ronaldo, but replacing his influence is different

The latest results show that Portugal can still compete at a high level without their legendary No.7.

The squad contains several world-class players and has continued to win under Jesus.

But replacing Ronaldo’s influence away from the pitch is much more difficult.

Losing more than 1.6 million followers in only a few days provides a powerful example of just how much global attention Ronaldo brings to the national team.

A painful consequence of Ronaldo’s exit

Portugal’s football results may remain strong, but the social-media numbers have revealed another side of the crisis.

The team have lost a huge number of followers, the coach has faced online backlash and government officials have publicly spoken about Ronaldo’s value to the country.

At the same time, both Jesus and the FPF continue to leave the door open for a possible return.

Portugal may be proving that they can survive without Ronaldo on the pitch, but the latest numbers suggest replacing his global influence could be almost impossible.