A rare milestone in Cristiano Ronaldo's international career

Portugal secured a 2-1 victory over Norway on Sunday evening in the UEFA Nations League, a match that marked a rare milestone in Cristiano Ronaldo's international career. According to the French newspaper L'Équipe, Ronaldo watched the entire game from the bench, making it the first time since June 15, 2008, that Portugal has won an official match without their legendary captain playing. Ronaldo holds the record for most appearances and goals for Portugal, with 234 caps and 146 goals, but he was left out of the starting lineup against Norway by coach Jorge Jesus. Ronaldo's last absence from an official match for Portugal before the Norway game was on June 21, 2006, when the team defeated Mexico 2-1 in the World Cup group stage. The last official match in which Ronaldo was an unused substitute was against Switzerland in the group stage of Euro 2008, a game Portugal lost 2-0. Ronaldo's last absence from his national team was against Croatia in June 2024, but that was in a friendly match, making the Norway game a rare occurrence in his international career.