Portugal’s Economy Minister Manuel Castro Almeida has described Cristiano Ronaldo as a major national asset whose importance extends well beyond football, saying many people know the country only because of the forward.
Ronaldo’s influence remains a prominent subject after his unexpected departure from Portugal’s national team camp. Speaking to Now, in comments reported by Portuguese website The Portugal News, Castro Almeida said the former Portugal captain had a significant role in shaping the country’s international image.
“Cristiano Ronaldo has a huge impact in strengthening and showcasing Portugal’s image,” he said.
The minister went further by calling Ronaldo “the most famous company in Portugal”, underlining the scale of the player’s global recognition and its value to the country’s reputation.
Castro Almeida said he was “not an expert” on the football dispute involving Ronaldo and manager Jorge Jesus and did not attempt to decide which side was right in the disagreement.
Instead, he focused on Ronaldo’s broader importance to Portugal and the way his worldwide profile has raised awareness of the country.
“Many people do not know Portugal except because of Cristiano Ronaldo,” he said.
The minister argued that such international recognition made the 40-year-old a valuable resource for Portugal and said the country should continue to benefit from it.
“It would be good if Portugal could continue to rely on this asset,” Castro Almeida said.
“From the point of view of promoting Portugal’s image and reputation, Cristiano has an extremely important value, and it would be very good for Portugal to continue making use of this potential.”
His comments came as Portugal prepared to face Norway on Sunday evening in the fourth round of the UEFA Nations League group stage.
By then, Ronaldo’s plane was expected to have reached Riyadh from Madrid after the Al-Nassr forward decided to return to his club.
The timing of his departure from the national-team camp has continued to dominate discussion, although Castro Almeida deliberately avoided commenting on the details of the dispute with Jorge Jesus.
Instead, he presented Ronaldo as an international ambassador whose visibility has consequences beyond his performances on the pitch. In the minister’s view, the player’s name provides Portugal with a level of global exposure that the country should seek to preserve.
