The striker will begin a new chapter in Portugal after prematurely ending his stint at Zenit St. Petersburg. The 22-year-old attacker arrives at Benfica on a one-season loan deal. The agreement was reached with Al Nassr, the club owning his sports rights, with whom he maintains an active contract through June 2030.

Al Nassr announced a social media post. Although his name was closely linked to Galatasaray in Turkey during the opening weeks of the transfer window, the Colombian ultimately chose to accept Benfica’s offer. There, he will team up with Richard Rios, who is also a member of Colombia.

Duran’s first words as a new player

In his first words as a Benfica player, Jhon Jader Duran expressed gratitude for the support received from the fans. Furthermore, he assured that he will seek to respond to the fans’ affection with strong performances on the pitch.

The arrival of the forward generates high expectations in Portuguese soccer thanks to his physical traits, finishing ability, and overall potential. Benfica hope the Colombian can become an important piece for the new season.

Over the last six months, Duran made 16 appearances split between Fenerbahce and Zenit—a stat that reflects a recent lack of continuity. Now, he will look to log playing time and recover the form he displayed in previous stages.

Duran’s clubs

The attacker’s career has seen rapid acceleration, changing clubs several times over the last three years. Aston Villa, Al Nassr, Fenerbahce, and Zenit form part of a journey that now adds a new chapter with Benfica.

Jorge Jesus was appointed as Roberto Martinez’s replacement as the manager, and when asked about Ronaldo’s role with the national team, the new coach made it clear that CR7 will never be a problem for Portugal.

However, the Al-Nassr forward appears to have a clear vision for his future, opening the door for other players to succeed him in his position. Will this team change its tactics and formation? Will a new leader emerge? What will happen with the iconic No. 7 jersey?

Portugal’s potential lineup without Ronaldo

In their latest World Cup appearance, Portugal’s attack featured Cristiano Ronaldo, Pedro Neto, and Joao Felix, supported by other offensive players such as Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves. Looking ahead to a hypothetical 2030 scenario, with many of these players potentially still part of the squad, this could be a potential lineup for this team without Ronaldo in the starting XI.

Diogo Costa; Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Renato Veiga, Nuno Mendes; Joao Neves, Vitinha, Pedro Neto; Bruno Fernandes, Joao Felix, Goncalo Ramos or Rafael Leao.

It is important to highlight that the squad Portugal took to the World Cup was a young one, with many players under the age of 30. Consequently, barring any unforeseen circumstances, it is highly likely that the vast majority of them could still be representing their country in 2030.

Portugal’s forwards called up for the 2026 World Cup

Roberto Martinez looked for a mix of experience and youth in Portugal’s attack. However, everything revolved around the figure of Cristiano Ronaldo, who did not have his best performance at the World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

• Cristiano Ronaldo (C)
• Goncalo Ramos
• Joao Felix
• Francisco Trincao
• Rafael Leao
• Pedro Neto
• Goncalo Guedes
• Francisco Conceicao

Perhaps due to age and experience, there are several names that could take over the role in four years. Joao Felix, Pedro Neto, and Rafael Leao are likely among the players under greater consideration, although the natural candidate to replace CR7 could be Goncalo Ramos as Portugal’s new center forward.

Ronaldo’s greatest achievement with Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo reached the pinnacle of his international career when he led Portugal to a historic victory at Euro 2016, securing the country’s first-ever major trophy. Despite suffering an early injury in the final against France, his passionate leadership from the sidelines inspired his teammates to a dramatic 1-0 win in extra time. Recently, Ronaldo celebrated the anniversary of this achievement with fond memories of a moment that cemented his legendary status in world soccer.

What does the future hold for the number 7 jersey?

Although rumors circulated that the number 7 shirt would no longer be used by the Portugal national team, the truth is that there has been no official announcement regarding the matter. Therefore, everything points to it remaining in use, naturally by another player.

When and where will the 2030 World Cup be played?

The 2030 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to run from June to July 2030. The tournament’s primary co-hosts are Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, where the majority of matches will take place.

However, to mark the centenary of the inaugural 1930 World Cup, three special opening matches will be held in South America across Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay before the competition moves to Europe and North Africa.

Messi, with eight distinctions, is the player with the most Ballon d’Or awards in history, although he enters this year’s race from behind. He won the 2022 World Cup with Argentina, lifted two Copa America titles with his national team, and also won the Champions League with Barcelona.

Which trophy has eluded CR7? The World Cup. Ronaldo has won the Champions League with Real Madrid, lifted the European Championship with Portugal in 2016, and claimed five Ballon d’Or awards. However, the biggest prize at the international level remained out of reach, as he was unable to win it across his six World Cup appearances.

Other players in this elite group are Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Müller from Germany, along with Zinedine Zidane of France. In addition, two Brazilian legends have achieved the same feat: Rivaldo and Ronaldinho.

Rodri’s trophy cabinet

Rodri has established himself as one of soccer’s ultimate winners, boasting an incredible track record at both club and international levels. On June 10, 2023, he scored the historic winning goal to secure the UEFA Champions League title for Manchester City.

Just over a year later, on July 14, 2024, he led Spain to European glory by winning the UEFA Euro and earning Player of the Tournament honors. His dominance was individually crowned on October 28, 2024, when he won the prestigious Ballon d’Or. Capping off this legendary run, he reached the absolute pinnacle of world soccer by becoming a FIFA World Cup champion with Spain, and also being awarded with the World Cup Golden Ball.

Ronaldo can no longer join them

This was Cristiano Ronaldo’s sixth World Cup, and his dream of winning the title came to an end after Portugal’s elimination at the hands of Spain. The forward made it clear that this was his final appearance at the tournament representing his country, meaning he will not be able to join the exclusive group of players who have won all four of these major honors.

A Spanish channel called “Espejo Publico,” Spanish for “Public Mirror,” had a controversial segment where one of the pundits said “Argentina is a team that should have been eliminated about five matches ago, if not for the help it received from FIFA. FIFA is one of the most corrupt organizations on Earth. That’s why I’m not afraid of Argentina at all, I’m very afraid of Infantino.”

The clip was before the final between Messi‘s Argentina and Spain. Cristiano Ronaldo liked the video, pretty much endorsing the message of the clip. That is a huge statement from one of soccer’s biggest stars.

FIFA and Argentina’s ‘relationship’ has been heavily scrutinized

The fact is there have been many calls where people could say Argentina was “favored” by FIFA. Conversely, though, one could argue there have been calls that are not as friendly to Argentina. In the end, this is just not a sustainable theory.

The fact is there will always be refereeing mistakes, it’s a part of the game. Saying there is blatant help for Argentina —or any team for that matter— is just a bad, unnecessary debate to have.

Cristiano Ronaldo is looking bad in this case

Ronaldo is one of soccer’s biggest stars. However, he and Portugal disappointed in the 2026 World Cup, and not because of referees. They were plain bad. To like a post where they are accusing, without proof, that FIFA is helping your biggest sports nemesis and his team comes across as sour.

Ronaldo is 41 years old, if he was a spring chicken, that would be one thing, but doing that at this stage in his career is just a bad look. After all, Messi surpassed in Ronaldo in pretty much every statistic.

Both the USMNT and Portugal suffered heartbreaking defeats in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup. In fact, had they both won those games, they would’ve faced off in the quarterfinals. They didn’t, and that’s why Belgium and Spain competed for a spot in the semifinals.

Although the Stars and Stripes and the Lusos fell in the same round of the knockout stage, the Americans hold the edge thanks to FIFA’s criteria to determine positioning between teams that exited the tournament in the same stage.

Thus, the USA ranks ahead of Portugal in the 2026 World Cup final standings. The USMNT finished as the 12th-best team in the world, while Ronaldo and Portugal came in an unlucky 13th.

FIFA’s criteria

“For the teams which exited the competition at the same stage, their position is decided by the following criteria: Total number of points from matches across all stages (matches which go to a penalty shootout count as draws), goal difference from matches across all stages, number of goals scored from matches across all stages. If two or more teams are still tied after applying the above criteria they share the same final rank,” FIFA’s official statement on the final standings read.

2026 World Cup final standings: Top 20

Only the first four places in the standings are decided by a direct matchup, thanks to the final and third-place game at the 2026 World Cup. The rest of the teams’ positions are determined by the round in which they were eliminated and how they fared across all games in the group and knockout stage.

The top four of the 2026 World Cup are virtually self-explanatory. Spain finished first, Argentina second, England third, and France fourth. In fifth place, the rowing Vikings emerged from the fog, as Erling Haaland’s Norway reached the quarterfinals and finished with 12 points across all their games.

Belgium (11 points) finished in sixth place, while Morocco and Switzerland tied for seventh after finishing level on all tiebreakers. Mexico and Colombia rounded out the top 10 in ninth and 10th, respectively.

Brazil finished 11th, the USA 12th, and Portugal 13th. Canada finished last among the co-hosts in 14th. From 15th to 20th, the countries are ranked as follows: Egypt, Paraguay, the Netherlands, Germany, Ivory Coast, and Croatia.

The worst team in 2026 World Cup

Iraq was the worst team at the 2026 World Cup. One could say the Lions of Mesopotamia were the worst by a landslide, but Tunisia did put up a fight in that debate.

Iraq lost all three group-stage games, scored only one goal, and conceded 12, finishing with a whopping -11 goal difference. The Eagles of Carthage, on the other hand, finished just ahead of them in 47th place thanks to their -10 goal difference. Tunisia also scored one more goal than Iraq.

Uzbekistan rounded out the bottom three, as they failed to earn a single point as well, but finished with a -9 goal difference.

The final in North America was decided in extra time when Ferran Torres scored a solo winner for Spain, capitalizing on the momentum built after Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernández was sent off in regular time.

With this result, Messi has now lost 13 finals across his professional career. By comparison, Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo has suffered 15 final losses in various club and international competitions.

A difficult night in the 2026 final

Argentina struggled throughout the match against a dominant Spanish side. La Albiceleste could not maintain control of possession, registering zero shots on target compared to Spain’s barrage of over 12 tested attempts.

This marks the second World Cup final loss of Messi’s career, following Argentina’s 1–0 extra-time defeat to Germany in 2014. While the captain achieved ultimate glory by lifting the trophy in Qatar in 2022, his bid to lead Argentina to back-to-back world titles fell flat as he struggled to make a decisive impact on the match.

What’s next: Is retirement imminent for Messi?

Whether Messi will retire from international soccer following the 2026 World Cup remains unconfirmed. The 39-year-old skipper has yet to make an official announcement regarding his future. He could potentially remain active through the next Copa América before making a final decision on whether a farewell appearance at the 2030 World Cup is realistic.

Despite Ronaldo‘s underwhelming performance at the 2026 World Cup, the Saudi Pro League controversially elevated him over Messi, who was one of the tournament’s standout players, racking up eight goals and multiple Man of the Match honors.

As Spain lifted the trophy for the second time in country history, Messi remained arguably the most decisive player of the tournament, single-handedly driving Argentina‘s deep run to the final.

On the other hand, Messi and Pedri shared a warm embrace on the pitch after Spain’s victory over Argentina, highlighting a deep bond forged during their shared tenure at FC Barcelona.

Ronaldo’s performance compared to Messi in the 2026 World Cup

To determine if the Saudi Pro League was intentionally throwing shade at Messi, with the Argentine star recording a greater impact in the finals compared to Cristiano, let’s break down the tournament stats for both icons following their respective exits against the eventual champions, Spain.

From a team perspective, however, Haaland fell just short—especially compared to Ronaldo, who guided Portugal to the semifinals in his first World Cup in 2006. Moreover, after Lamine Yamal reached the semifinals with Spain in his first World Cup, it was clear Haaland wouldn’t want to miss out on the fun. Still, he couldn’t change the final outcome, as England knocked Norway out of the tournament.

Norway’s disallowed goal against England will sting for a long time, as it denied the Norwegians the chance to celebrate with Norway’s iconic Viking Row one last time at the 2026 World Cup. With that, Haaland’s first ever World Cup has come to an end. Now, it’s time to compare it with Messi and Ronaldo’s first experiences in soccer’s biggest tournament.

Ronaldo’s finish at his first World Cup

In the 2006 World Cup, Portugal fell 1-0 to France in the semis before losing 3-1 to hosts Germany in the third-place game. Haaland, whose jersey reads “Braut Haaland” at the 2026 World Cup, couldn’t do any better than the forward he grew up watching.

One more win would have not only set a new record for the furthest Norway had ever gone at a World Cup, but also give Haaland a chance to surpass the mark set by Portugal during Cristiano Ronaldo’s first ever World Cup.

The elimination may not be the worst thing in the world, though. Ronaldo’s best World Cup was his first, and he only experienced World Cup heartbreaks ever since. Messi, on the other hand, needed longer to find his footing at soccer’s biggest competition, but in the end, it was all worth it. Perhaps, this loss is a blessing in disguise for Haaland and Norway.

Messi’s finish in first World Cup

Messi, like Ronaldo, played in his first of six World Cups in 2006. Both stars waved goodbye to the tournament after losses to Germany, although at very different stages. While Ronaldo and Portugal fell to Die Mannschaft in the third-place playoff, Messi’s Argentina were eliminated by the hosts in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals.

In that match, a 19-year-old Messi was left on the substitutes’ bench by Argentina head coach Jose Nestor Pekerman, a decision that remains controversial and deeply lamented to this day in the Land of Silver. Just like Messi, Haaland watched the end of his first World Cup elimination from the bench, but because Haaland was subbed off by Norway against England in extra time.

Argentina have won three World Cups, but the 2006 elimination remains one of the country’s most painful World Cup memories. It was also only the first of Messi’s three consecutive World Cup eliminations at the hands of Germany: the quarterfinals in 2006 and 2010, and the final in 2014. Haaland will hope to have a differen fate going forward in head-to-head games between Norway and England.

Haaland’s fate

Coming into the quarterfinals matchup of the 2026 World Cup, Haaland was handed two choices. He either fell at the quarterfinals like Messi did in his first World Cup or he reached the semifinals, like Cristiano did in 2006.

Although Haaland has always looked to mimic Ronaldo more than he did Messi, he couldn’t replicate his childhood idol’s path, and instead has faced the same fate Messi did. It stings now, but it might be for the best in the long run.

Cristiano Ronaldo commemorated this July 10, 2026, the 10th anniversary of the European Championship won by Portugal in France. The captain shared a photograph of the celebration with the trophy and wrote, “A victory of millions!“ ten years after the Portuguese side secured the first championship in their history at the senior level.

Following that elimination, Ronaldo generated a lot of buzz by comparing the value of the Euro obtained in 2016 to a World Cup. The forward highlighted the importance of that achievement for Portuguese soccer and stated: “I have won three titles with Portugal. Before Cristiano, Portugal had not won anything. The biggest title I won with the national team was in 2016, which, to me, has the same dimension of a World Cup, sincerely.”

How Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal secured the Euro 2016

In that tournament, the Portuguese path began with three draws in Group F: 1-1 against Iceland, 0-0 against Austria, and 3-3 against Hungary. Cristiano scored two goals and provided an assist in the final group matchup, a result that allowed the team led at the time by Fernando Santos to advance as one of the best third-place finishers.

Portugal then defeated Croatia 1-0 in the Round of 16 with a goal from Ricardo Quaresma during extra time. In the quarterfinals, they drew 1-1 with Poland following goals by Robert Lewandowski and Renato Sanches, and punched their ticket to the semifinals by winning 5-3 in a penalty shootout.

The Portuguese national team found their most solid performance against Wales. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring with a header, and Nani extended the lead to establish a 2-0 win that took Portugal to their second European final, 12 years after the defeat suffered against Greece in Lisbon.

The most important final in Portugal’s history

In the final, they faced France. However, that match on July 10, 2016, changed for Portugal when Cristiano suffered a knee injury following contact with Dimitri Payet. The forward attempted to continue with a bandage but ultimately left the pitch on a stretcher in the 25th minute.

Cristiano remained near the technical area and accompanied Fernando Santos by shouting instructions to his teammates, leaving one of the best moments of the tournament. In the 109th minute, Eder received the ball outside the box and beat Hugo Lloris with a shot that decided the 1-0 victory. Portugal thus lifted their first title, and Ronaldo defined that night as one of the happiest moments of his career.

His remarkable rise has naturally sparked comparisons with two of the sport’s greatest players, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Both legends also experienced the World Cup at a young age, but their journeys in their debut tournaments unfolded differently from Yamal’s current run with Spain.

Spain’s next challenge is a massive semifinal against France, one of the strongest teams in the tournament. A victory would send Yamal and Spain to the World Cup final, placing the teenager in an even more historic position.

How far did Lionel Messi go in his first World Cup?

Lionel Messi played in his first FIFA World Cup with Argentina in 2006. The Argentine national team was eliminated in the quarterfinals after losing on penalties to host nation Germany. Although Messi showed flashes of his extraordinary talent during that tournament, Argentina was unable to advance beyond the final eight.

How far did Cristiano Ronaldo go in his first World Cup?

Cristiano Ronaldo made his World Cup debut with Portugal in 2006. Portugal entered the tournament with a strong generation of players led by Luis Figo, and the team advanced to the semifinals.

The Portuguese side was defeated 1-0 by France in the semifinal and later lost the third-place match against Germany. Ronaldo’s first World Cup therefore ended with Portugal finishing fourth, making it a deeper run than Messi’s debut tournament.

How does Lamine Yamal compare with Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo?

Lamine Yamal has already matched the stage reached by Cristiano Ronaldo in his first World Cup and surpassed Messi’s debut tournament by reaching the semifinals.

If Spain advances to the final, Yamal would go further than both Messi and Ronaldo did in their first World Cup appearances. Considering his age and the level of competition, this would be an extraordinary achievement for the young Spanish star.

Addressing one of the biggest talking points surrounding Portugal, Jesus dismissed any suggestion that Ronaldo could become an issue for the squad. “Cristiano will never be a problem for the national team, nor for me. Cris is a symbol of Portuguese football. He wants to continue at Al Nassr and will end his career at Al Nassr. It’s easy to work with Cristiano,” Jesus said, according to Fabrizio Romano on X.

The Portuguese Football Federation confirmed Jesus’ appointment by welcoming the 71-year-old coach, who reunites with Ronaldo after recently working alongside him at Al Nassr. Their existing relationship is expected to provide continuity as Portugal prepare for the next stage of the international cycle.

Jorge Jesus backs Cristiano Ronaldo’s role with Portugal

Jesus’ comments arrive after criticism surrounding Ronaldo’s role during Portugal’s 2026 World Cup campaign, when some questioned whether the 41‑year‑old should continue as a regular starter, as Youri Djorkaeff blamed Portugal’s squad for not giving Cristiano Ronaldo enough support.

Rather than fueling that debate, the new Portugal manager made it clear he views Ronaldo as one of the country’s greatest soccer figures and emphasized that managing the veteran forward isn’t a concern.

Ronaldo expected to remain at Al Nassr

Beyond discussing the national team, Jesus also indicated that Ronaldo, who recently addressed his future with Portugal, intends to remain with Al Nassr for the remainder of his playing career.

The comments reinforce the veteran forward’s commitment to the Saudi Pro League while ending speculation about a possible move elsewhere. With his club future seemingly settled, Ronaldo’s focus now shifts to helping Portugal under a new coaching staff as Jesus begins his tenure leading the national team.