Cristiano Ronaldo will not be Portugal's poster boy in the next 2022 World Cup in Qatar, according to reports.
Each team playing in the event will have one player chosen to have a gigantic 75-foot billboard stretched over Doha's towers-but Ronaldo will not be catching a sight of himself this winter as he is poised to be overlooked.
According to ESPN, Ronaldo will be snubbed as Portugal's preferred player on their poster, with either his Manchester United colleague Bruno Fernandes or Liverpool's Diogo Jota favored instead.
Many will be surprised by Portugal's choice to ignore the player who became the all-time leading international goal scorer last year.
Ronaldo, who broke Ali Daei's 109-goal record with a brace against Ireland, now has 117 international goals in 191 appearances—yet even this is insufficient to get a World Cup banner.
By selecting a younger member of the squad, Portugal appears to be accepting a new direction for their national team and preparing for life without their hero.
The 37-year-old has been in dismal form by his own standards, with only two goals in his past nine competitive outings for his country.
However, Ronaldo may not be alone in missing out on having his own giant poster.
Argentina has yet to decide who will be featured on their poster, with Lionel Messi potentially joining Ronaldo on the sidelines.
If both megastars miss out, it could represent the end of the Messi and Ronaldo era where the two have dominated world football for well over a decade.
Several other countries have already confirmed who will be representing their national side on these newly-commissioned posters.
Croatia chose Luka Modric, and Senegal chose Sadio Mane to be featured on the skyscrapers.
