A social media post circulating widely on X has claimed that supporters in Lisbon took to the streets to protest the handling of Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from the Portugal national team camp, expressing frustration over a perceived lack of respect for the legendary forward and the reassignment of his iconic No. 7 shirt to Rafael Leão.
The post, shared by account @Jonathanslh7 on 1 October 2026, includes video footage of a large crowd dressed predominantly in red gathering in a historic European square, waving flags and setting off flares under captions and emojis linking the scene to Portuguese support for Ronaldo. It garnered significant engagement, with thousands of likes and views.
However, the video does not depict events in Lisbon or Portugal. Multiple observers, including replies to the original post, identified the location as Kraków’s Main Market Square in Poland. The footage shows fans of Polish club Wisła Kraków celebrating the team’s promotion back to the top-flight Ekstraklasa earlier in 2026. The architecture, including distinctive buildings and a church with a green dome, matches Kraków, not Lisbon.
The Real Controversy
Separately, genuine tension has surrounded Ronaldo and the Portugal setup. The 41-year-old captain left the national team camp in Copenhagen on 30 September 2026 after coach Jorge Jesus confirmed he would start on the bench against Denmark in the UEFA Nations League for a second consecutive match. Ronaldo posted that he departed following Jesus’s press conference and a conversation with Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proença, promising to explain the reasons “in due course.”
Portugal went on to defeat Denmark 4-2 without him. Due to UEFA rules requiring consecutive squad numbers without gaps, Rafael Leão was assigned the No. 7 shirt for the match. Leão later described wearing the number—long associated with Ronaldo—as “something special,” noting that Ronaldo had been his childhood idol.
The episode has divided opinion in Portugal. Some fans and Ronaldo’s sister have voiced strong criticism of the situation, while others supported the coach’s authority. Reports mentioned boos directed at Jesus in Copenhagen and mixed displays of support inside the stadium, but there are no credible news accounts of organised street protests by Portugal fans in Lisbon over the matter.
The viral post appears to have combined authentic recent events involving Ronaldo with unrelated older footage, amplifying emotion around an already sensitive story in Portuguese football. As of early October 2026, Ronaldo’s international future remains unclear.
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