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Cristiano Ronaldo support posters and criticism of national team coach Jorge Jesus appeared at the Nó de Francos roundabout in Porto on Saturday, matching a similar display in Lisbon 24 hours earlier. The outdoor campaign, launched just a day before Portugal faces Norway in a UEFA Nations League group-stage fixture at Estádio do Dragão, was funded entirely by individual businessman Fernando Maia at a cost of approximately 1,900 euros.
Outdoor campaign spreads from Lisbon to Porto before Nations League match
The billboards carrying words of gratitude for Cristiano Ronaldo first went up in Lisbon on Friday near the Cidade do Futebol and along the Segunda Circular. By Saturday, an identical graphic appeared in Porto at the Nó de Francos roundabout. According to reporting from CNN Portugal, author Fernando Maia deliberately chose not to place a sign directly outside Estádio do Dragão to avoid destabilizing the national team ahead of matchday.
Portugal hosts Norway on Sunday at 19:45 local time (UTC+1) for the fourth round of the Nations League group stage. Portugal enters the fixture without their captain, who left the squad on the eve of their previous international fixture against Denmark in Copenhagen—a match Portugal ultimately won 4-2 under Jorge Jesus.
Fernando Maia drops inflammatory phrase from Porto billboards
While the Lisbon installations featured explicit criticism of Jorge Jesus—including phrases regarding an «inflamed ego» and «lack of sensitivity»—the Porto display featured a slight alteration. Maia removed the specific reference to an «inflamed ego» while maintaining his broader critique of how the manager handled the case of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Speaking to Rádio Observador, Maia defended the independent nature of the demonstration. «I place these posters in an individual name, it has nothing to do with any company, I am the one paying for the posters,» Maia said. «The only thing that may eventually be questionable is a phrase about the inflamed ego. I want to make another issue very clear. I don’t know Ronaldo, I don’t know anyone from Ronaldo’s team, I know myself, and I have a thing called gratitude and not discarding people who were useful and are useful to Portugal.»
Production costs and regulatory response
Maia outlined the financial scope of the self-funded project to the press, noting that each canvas costs approximately 215 euros, with installation and structural fees adding another 195 euros per board. The total expenditure for running multiple displays over a five-day public window reaches roughly 1,900 euros. The organizer stated he is prepared to cover any municipal fines issued by local authorities.
Coverage by Observador noted that Maia views the campaign as a personal continuation of supporter initiatives dating back to 2004. He argued that the player’s global profile—asserting that 99 percent of people worldwide associate the nation’s name with the forward—warranted a more harmonious departure from the Federation.
UEFA Nations League group schedule
The timing of the billboard campaign coincides with a critical juncture in Portugal’s autumn international schedule. The squad returns to competitive action at Estádio do Dragão on Sunday evening, seeking to solidify their position at the top of their group standings without their absent talisman.
