Fernando Santos' side relied heavily on the Real Madrid forward's goals in qualification, and it has made them dull and one-dimensional, writes Miles Chambers.
With nearly 150 million followers across Facebook and Twitter, Cristiano Ronaldo isn't just the most popular soccer player in the world – he can claim to be the second-most popular person on the planet full stop. Only pop star Katy Perry sits ahead of him in the social media standings and the next player, Lionel Messi, lags over 60 million fans behind.
You'd think such a huge fanbase indicates Ronaldo provides the excitement to match his reputation.