Portugal fans got a look at what the post-Cristiano Ronaldo era might look like in their 4-2 Nations League victory over Denmark.

Joao Cancelo and Goncalo Ramos had twice given the visitors the lead with Mikkel Damsgaard and Rasmus Hojlund both levelling for Denmark.

Ex-Manchester United striker Hojlund marked his goal with Ronaldo's trademark 'Siuuu' celebration - something he has done before against Portugal.

Vitinha put Portugal ahead again with a header from Bruno Fernandes' ball and Joao Felix added a late fourth in Copenhagen.

It was the first match since 41-year-old Ronaldo, the record goalscorer in men's international football, left the camp after being put on the bench against Norway.

His sister, Elma Aveiro, wrote on social media: "Betrayal is a dish best served cold."

Ronaldo has been effectively undroppable for years - having scored 146 goals and won 234 caps for Portugal.

But in his less mobile older years, there has been a feeling that maybe the Al-Nassr player, who has 979 career goals, has been holding back his national team.

BBC Sport takes a look at the argument and what the mood is.

Ronaldo was reunited with his old boss at Al-Nassr, Jorge Jesus, this summer after Roberto Martinez resigned as Portugal head coach.

The veteran captain started in the 1-0 Nations League win over Wales - but he did not play in the 2-1 victory in Norway.

It was the first time since 2008 that Ronaldo had been an unused substitute for his country.

"He gets asked to warm up for the whole of the second half practically [without coming on]," said Spanish football expert Guillem Balague on BBC Radio 5 Live.

"There are tacit rules in football: you don't do that to Pele, to Diego Maradona, to Lionel Messi, to Cristiano, right? That's what he's seen, that you don't do that to those kind of players."

Jesus denied there was a rift, but Ronaldo then left the camp - saying he would explain the reasons behind his departure "in time".

Balague, who wrote a book about Ronaldo in 2015, added: "Some journalists close to Cristiano have been saying one day we'll come out with the whole story.

"So there is something else that was said, perhaps promised to Cristiano, that has not been delivered.

"Cristiano has been a shareholder in some of the key media outlets in Portugal, so a story will be told somehow, somewhere, by some of these people and it will be a war and let's see who wins it."

Balague added that Ronaldo will not want this to be his Portugal farewell, but that there may not be an easy reconciliation.

Fellow Euro Leagues podcast guest James Horncastle said: "I am disappointed in Ronaldo's behaviour.

"As a captain, as a leader of the team, he should still be there. He should put side before self, and it doesn't look like he's doing that in this occasion."

It may have come as a surprise to many, but Cristiano Ronaldo colliding with Jorge Jesus is one of the most anticipated fallouts ever. That's two of the biggest Portuguese egos in the same room together. There would never be enough cameras for both of them.

Ronaldo is arguably the country's greatest player of all time. Jesus, for his part, once said that he believed he was the world's best coach.

As debatable as that may have been, he's a man of strong convictions. Nothing that is happening now comes as a shock to Portuguese fans who have become used to Jesus' short temper and directness.

If ever there was going to be a man to challenge Ronaldo's status within Portugal's dressing room, it would be Jesus. He did that with Neymar at Al-Hilal, telling the Brazilian he was "finished".

As Belenenses manager, long before he became a household name, Jesus even confronted and stopped a soundcheck from American rapper 50 Cent at the Restelo stadium, forcing him to shut down because it was interfering with training.

He fears no-one and that represents a major break from the overly diplomatic style of his predecessor, Roberto Martinez.

Ronaldo heard the message loud and clear, deciding to pack his bags and abandon the national team.

How much gratitude is enough? That's a question that Portuguese fans have been asking for a few years now. The whole soap opera that seems to follow the mere presence of the 41-year-old striker seems to have got to a point where patience is running out.

Of Portugal's last five coaches, Ronaldo had issues with four of them – Carlos Queiroz, Paulo Bento, Fernando Santos and now Jesus. That's too much distraction when Portugal has now arguably their best generation ever.

Moreover, that's not the behaviour you expect from the national team's captain, but from a spoiled child who acts as if he had never heard a "no" in his life.

There is no doubt that overall Ronaldo has been a fantastic player for Portugal, helping them to win Euro 2016 - and he ranks as one of football's best players ever.

He broke the world goalscoring record at international level years ago for Portugal and has never really stopped scoring.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is the top scorer in European Championship history - and the only player to score at six different World Cups.

But for the past few years there have been endless debates about whether he is hindering Portugal's progress. In fact it is a question that was asked on this very website five years ago.

At the 2022 World Cup, Fernando Santos had the bravery to drop him to the bench for the knockout stages, but this summer he played all bar nine minutes under Martinez.

After the 1-0 loss to Spain in the last 16 of the World Cup, BBC pundit Chris Sutton said: "He's waddling around the field like a grandad - that's why Portugal are out."

A squad containing four members of Paris St-Germain's back-to-back Champions League-winning team, and Premier League player of the year Bruno Fernandes, had been eliminated - albeit by the team that would go on to lift the trophy.

"As much as his coaches have said he continues to score goals in Saudi Arabia, what else does he do for the team, particularly in the modern game where you expect more from a striker than just goals?" asked journalist Horncastle on the Euro Leagues show.

In the past five years, Ronaldo only missed two qualifiers for a World Cup or Euros, both through suspension, and they ended up being the team's two biggest wins ever - 9-0 over Luxembourg and 9-1 against Armenia.

Since 2017, Portugal's win percentage without Ronaldo is slightly better - 64% to 63% - and they score 2.7 goals a game without him compared to 2.1 with him.