Cristiano Ronaldo's international career, Manchester United's top scorer, is coming to an end, as his country faces an uphill battle in its World Cup qualifiers.
Portugal will face Turkey next Thursday in the semi-finals of the European qualifying round for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and winning the match constitutes the crossing to face European champion Italy in the final of the European supplement.
But it is a difficult task for the "Brazil of Europe" team, and although Ronaldo was the best player in the team for a long time and is still the darling of the fans, a debate has emerged - in the recent period - about whether the Portuguese national team would be better off without its leader.
Portuguese journalist Sergio Perez says it is "almost as a political problem, because its solution requires a summit to reach an agreement on a strategy to prepare for Ronaldo's retirement from the national team."
"I find it controversial to say that the national team plays better without the best player in it, especially when you don't have a track record of matches played in these conditions (without the participation of Ronaldo)."
Although Portugal may not have lost a game without him in the team since 2014, he missed their 4-1 victory over Croatia in the Nations League, which was described as the best performance from Fernando Santos's side since taking charge.
The Portugal national team includes many prominent players at the moment, such as: Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix and Diego Jota.
So, there is a feeling that when Ronaldo plays, the spotlight is being drawn on by the other players, because they feel that they always have to pass the ball to him instead of doing what they want or what serves the team.
"It is different when Cristiano plays because he is an important player, but all the players want to play for him, and everyone knows that they have to pass the ball to him," the British newspaper, Daily Mail, quoted a source close to the team.
"We have a saying that the team is Ronaldo plus 10. The team is more comfortable and free without him. The team is better without him."
Manchester United have a similar problem, as players struggle to meet the standards set by the Portuguese star on and off the field.
Will Ronaldo start with Portugal?
Portugal coach Santos has no plans to dismiss the best player in his country.
"I don't think any team in the world can do better without their best player," he said.
And Santos' words mean that Ronaldo will be on the field from the start against Turkey, and perhaps against Italy.