@FootynewsThe hardest part of watching Cristiano Ronaldo struggle with the Portugal national team isn't the results. It's the silence where Diogo Jota used to be. Jota was the teammate who never needed a reason to run over and throw an arm around him. Hug, encouragement, on the pitch, no matter what was going on around them. That was just the standard. And honestly, Jota seemed to get Ronaldo in a way most people around him never did. So seeing Ronaldo grind through this rough patch without that one guy who always had his back? That stings. Knowing he's not there to offer it anymore stings more. Absence always hits loudest when someone actually needs the support.

@FootynewsThe hardest part of watching Cristiano Ronaldo struggle with the Portugal national team isn't the results. It's the silence where Diogo Jota used to be. Jota was the teammate who never needed a reason to run over and throw an arm around him. Hug, encouragement, on the pitch, no matter what was going on around them. That was just the standard. And honestly, Jota seemed to get Ronaldo in a way most people around him never did. So seeing Ronaldo grind through this rough patch without that one guy who always had his back? That stings. Knowing he's not there to offer it anymore stings more. Absence always hits loudest when someone actually needs the support.