Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from Portugal’s training camp could cost the Portuguese Football Federation hundreds of millions of euros and put major sponsorship agreements at risk, according to brand expert Carlos Coelho.
Ronaldo left the camp on Wednesday, ending a turbulent 23-year relationship with the Portugal shirt and potentially exposing himself to disciplinary action. His departure came on the eve of the Nations League meeting with Denmark.
Coelho, president of marketing consultancy Ivity Brand Corp, described the fallout as an economic “earthquake” that could severely damage the federation’s international market value. Speaking to Portuguese news agency Lusa on Thursday, in comments reported by Record, he criticised what he called “administrative negligence” in the handling of the country’s most important football asset.
“The standing of the Portuguese Football Federation is declining significantly,” Coelho said. “This unexpected event, which was managed extremely badly, represents a major setback in terms of value and the loss it represents.”
He said Portugal’s sporting future was not under threat, insisting the national team “will not disappear; it will continue, play and, God willing, win”.
However, Coelho warned that the greater damage would be commercial.
“Overnight, it loses one of its biggest assets worldwide,” he said. “Hundreds of millions of people around the world watch Portugal’s matches only because of Cristiano Ronaldo; they do not care whether they win or lose.”
Football, Coelho added, “is no longer just a sport, but a multi-billion-dollar industry”. Removing a player of Ronaldo’s stature therefore affected the federation at the heart of its financial resources, he said.
He also warned that sponsors could reconsider their commitments if the value they associated with Portugal had changed.
“Imagine you are a sponsor who signed a contract expecting to link your brand to this asset,” he said. “You have valid reasons to say that the expectations have changed, request meetings and even cancel the contracts.”
Coelho pointed to the example of Al Nassr’s trip to China, where the absence of Ronaldo led to a reported fall in attendance from 55,000 to 5,000. He said Portugal’s international reach was now facing a “very significant setback”.
The branding specialist also criticised the way the dispute had been handled and agreed with the view of former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson that the situation amounted to “destruction of value” that could have been avoided.
“The greatest player in the history of Portuguese football must be treated with respect and care,” Coelho said. “At 41, he cannot be treated, either sporting-wise or in the media, as if he were 17. What happened is evidence of an absence of authority.”
The comments were a direct reference to Portugal manager Jorge Jesus.
Coelho said positive results alone would not repair the damage in international markets, because they mattered mainly to Portuguese supporters. He called for an institutional solution that recognised Ronaldo’s 20 years of service to the country.
The expert predicted that Ronaldo’s personal brand could emerge stronger, saying it “will not lose value, but be reinforced” because the dispute had dominated global headlines. He described Ronaldo as an unofficial ambassador with diplomatic and economic influence greater than any advertising campaign in Portugal.
Daniel Sa, executive director of the Portuguese Institute of Marketing Management (IPAM), also called Ronaldo “the biggest brand Portugal has ever known” and urged the federation to develop a transitional strategy to limit the decline in its global profile.
