Brand expert Carlos Coelho stated in an interview with Portuguese media on Thursday that Ronaldo's departure from the Portuguese national team triggered an economic "earthquake" that could lead sponsors to cancel contracts and diminish the brand value of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF).

The president of branding consultancy Ivity Brand Corp said that the crisis caused by the captain's departure signifies "a huge loss of value" that no athletic achievement can prevent. He also criticized the "blind adherence to authority" in managing the most important asset of Portuguese football.

Regarding the FPF's brand value, Coelho stated: "The brand value of the Portuguese Football Federation has significantly declined. This incident was unexpected and, from the perspective of brand value and its loss, it was handled very poorly, leading to an extremely evident setback. This is not an earthquake that will cause the Portuguese team to collapse. The team will not disappear; it will continue to exist, continue to play, and, God willing, continue to win. The problem is not there, but rather that a brand has been devalued. It lost one of its core assets in an instant. Hundreds of millions of people around the world watch the Portuguese team's matches solely because of Ronaldo; they don't care whether the team wins or loses."

In Coelho's view, Ronaldo's departure directly impacts the FPF's economic lifeline. He stated: "Football is no longer just a sport; it is a multi-billion dollar industry." Whether this industry can continue to develop depends on its ability to attract more spectators.

Regarding potential reactions from sponsors, Coelho stated: "Think from the perspective of sponsors; when they signed, they wanted their brand to be associated with these core assets. Now, they have every reason to say that the premise of the signing has changed and to demand renegotiations or even contract termination. Portuguese interest in the team may increase, but interest from the rest of the world will decline."

Coelho also cited Al Nassr's trip to China as an example. At that time, Ronaldo's absence caused the live attendance to drop from 55,000 to 5,000. He used this to illustrate that the Portuguese team's international reach would suffer an "extremely obvious setback."

Coelho criticized the handling of the matter, aligning his stance with views expressed by former manager Sir Alex Ferguson and others. In Ferguson's opinion, devaluing the player was an "avoidable destruction of value."

Regarding Portugal coach Jorge Jesus' management of Ronaldo, Coelho stated: "The most important asset in Portuguese football history deserves respect and careful handling. He is 41 years old; he cannot be treated like a 17-year-old, either in terms of athletic management or external communication. What happened precisely proves the lack of authority among managers."

Coelho also stated that even excellent athletic performance would not be enough to prevent the impact of this incident on the international market. The FPF urgently needs to reconsider how it treats Ronaldo at an organizational level. Coelho stated: "This cannot be solved by good results, because only Portuguese people care about the outcome of the game. The only way to mitigate the impact is to find a place for Ronaldo within the organizational structure of the Portuguese team. This position does not necessarily have to be on the field, but it certainly isn't on the bench."

Coelho advocated for finding a proper solution through negotiation, respecting Ronaldo's contributions to the country over the past 20 years. Contrary to the FPF, Coelho expects Ronaldo's personal brand to remain strong and even benefit from the media attention generated by this incident.

Coelho stated: "Ronaldo's brand has not been damaged; it has even been strengthened. He made headlines on TV news worldwide and became a global media story. This huge controversy was mainly confined to Portugal. Ronaldo remains an unofficial ambassador, and his diplomatic and economic influence surpasses any Portuguese promotional campaign."

Coelho's statement echoes previous warnings from Daniel Sá, executive director of the Portuguese Institute of Administration and Marketing (IPAM).

Daniel Sá stated in an interview: "Ronaldo is the biggest brand Portugal has ever had." He called on the FPF to develop a transition strategy to mitigate the impact of declining global exposure.

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