Teenager Joao Felix, who has been called Ronaldo's successor, made his international debut on Wednesday, but it was Ronaldo who scored the hat trick that gave Portugal a 3-1 win over Switzerland and a spot in the final of the inaugural Nations League.
Ronaldo hobbled off in the first half with an apparent right hamstring injury in Portugal's 1-1 draw with Serbia in Lisbon, which came three days after the titleholder's 0-0 draw with Ukraine.
World champion France opened with a 4-1 victory at Moldova while Raheem Sterling scored his first international hat trick as England routed the Czech Republic 5-0.
Ronaldo is Europe's leading international scorer with 85 goals for Portugal. He is also Portugal's most experienced player with 154 appearances.
The four semifinalists won their groups in the top-tier of the UEFA Nations League, European soccer's new national team competition.
Italy dominated and had the better of the chances in front of a packed crowd in Milan but ended with a sixth successive home draw.
With young Sevilla striker Andre Silva scoring again, Portugal won 3-2 in Chorzow to take control of Group 3 of the top-tier League A in Europe's newest competition.
Ronaldo hasn't been called up for the national team since the World Cup, and the Portuguese soccer federation has already said he also will not be considered for upcoming international matches later this year.
Germany and France headlined the opening night of the UEFA Nations League, it was the 2014 world champion against this year's winner but the upshot was a 0-0 draw.
Uruguay won its group with shutout victories in its first three games. Portugal's path to second place in its group was more tenuous.
While many fans look at the encounter as Real Madrid's Ronaldo vs FC Barcelona's Luis Suarez, this the first time it will happen on the biggest stage in soccer and with a spot in the quarterfinals at stake.
Morocco lost 1-0 for the second straight Group B match and is out of contention for a spot in the next round.
Five-time World Player of the Year Ronaldo grabbed a hat-trick as European champions Portugal snatched a 3-3 draw against Spain in a heavyweight showdown in Sochi.
While Team India chinaman Kuldeep Yadav is banking on Brazil to clinch the World Cup this year, boxer Akhil Kumar and golfer Rahil Gangjee want Ronaldo's Portugal to surprise everyone.
Spain, the 2010 World Cup champion, dominated much of the match but were unable to contain Ronaldo.
Portugal's system is built on a solid defence with relatively few goalscoring chances being created, in the hope that Ronaldo will need just half a chance to score.
Spain beat Portugal at the 2010 World Cup, and again in the semifinals of the 2012 European Championship, going on to win the tournament both times.
The five-time world player of the year is leading a squad that broke through to win its first major title at the 2016 European Championship.
Portugal will begin their World Cup campaign against Iberian rival Spain on June 15 in Sochi.
With the biggest sporting event in the world around the corner, we take a look at some of the teams which can dominate in the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia.
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