Cristiano Ronaldo will not carry the burden of leading Portugal as it was in the past, but no one expects any complacency, even at the age of 36, he has set his sights on the top of the list of players to score the most at the level of national teams.
Ronaldo broke the 100 international goal last September and is only 6 goals away from Iran's Daei record of 109 goals.
As much as he was motivated to win titles with clubs and the national team, he has been looking forward to being alone with the record for some time. In 2019, he said, "All records must be broken and I will break this record."
Ronaldo scored 11 goals in eight qualifying matches and was lucky to face small teams like Lithuania, where he scored seven goals in two matches.
But he also shines in the major tournaments, as he did when he scored a hat-trick in Portugal's first match in the 2018 World Cup against Spain, or when he opened the scoring against Wales in the semi-finals of the 2016 European Championship.
Ronaldo has put his name on the scorers' list in his previous eight appearances with Portugal in major tournaments, and he will get two early chances to prove himself again when Portugal play Germany and France in the second and third matches in Group Six.
Portugal's victory in the last European Championship was not satisfied with his hunger after suffering an early injury against France in the final, and he spent the rest of the time moving off the field and cheering on his teammates.
Ronaldo will be more enthusiastic to inspire Portugal to defend its title and play the championship role in the event that it reaches the final, especially after a disappointing season with Juventus.
The burden should be lighter on Ronaldo at least than it was when he led the national team alone to their first major title in European Championship 2016 and he had to do so with Ricardo Quaresma and Eder as his teammates in attack.
Now, he can count on high profile groups like Joao Felix, Diogo Jota, Bruno Fernandes and Andre Silva who will make Portugal an extraordinary candidate.
But even with such a prominent group, Ronaldo is expected to play the captain role.