Ferdinand: Portugal will struggle to find a replacement for Ronaldo's commercial power
Rio Ferdinand believes that Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from the Portugal national team will significantly impact its commercial performance, and replacing his global reach will be difficult.
The 41-year-old Ronaldo recently announced the end of his international career. He had represented the national team since 2003.
In Ferdinand's opinion, the football federation may have been interested in continuing its collaboration with the player not only for sporting reasons. As a commercial project, Ronaldo, according to the former Manchester United defender, had grown larger than the national team itself.
The ex-footballer noted that the striker's departure could seriously affect the federation's revenue and commercial metrics. According to him, even a small number of Ronaldo's posts generate an enormous impact.
During the 2026 World Cup, the media value of his social media accounts' reach was estimated at 107 million dollars. The official Portugal national team accounts across all analyzed platforms received an evaluation of 88 million dollars for the same period.
Ferdinand also linked Portugal's international recognition to Ronaldo's investments. In particular, the player had spoken about his pride in the mentions of 'Made in Portugal' worldwide.
Ferdinand called Ronaldo a global icon and stated that Portuguese football is unlikely to find a comparable replacement in terms of commercial appeal and international reach. His contribution to Portuguese and global football, in the former defender's opinion, cannot be overstated.
