Cristiano Ronaldo had barely left the pitch before the debate started again.
Can Portugal actually win this World Cup?
A few years ago, the question would have sounded absurd. Portugal had Ronaldo, certainly, but they often felt like a team searching for a solution rather than a team capable of winning football's biggest prize.
Now the conversation feels different.
Partly because Ronaldo is no longer expected to do everything.
Partly because Portugal might have stumbled into the strongest squad in their history.
Bruno Fernandes creates chances almost by accident. Bernardo Silva still finds space where none appears to exist. Vitinha controls games without drawing attention to himself. Rafael Leão remains one of those players who can spend an hour frustrating supporters before producing a moment nobody else in the stadium could have imagined.
The old criticism of Portugal was that they relied too heavily on individuals.
Ironically, they may finally become world champions because they no longer need to.
That does not mean they are favourites.
It does mean they have entered the conversation.
And there is another factor that should not be ignored.
Many supporters simply want to see Ronaldo lift the trophy.
Not everyone. Football is never unanimous about anything.
But there is a sense that even rival fans appreciate what they are watching. Careers like this are not supposed to last two decades. They are certainly not supposed to stretch into a sixth World Cup.
If Portugal go deep into the tournament, the noise will only grow louder.
The problem for Portugal is that France exist.
Every major tournament seems to produce the same cycle.
France disappoint.
Questions are asked.
Pundits wonder whether the squad is overrated.
Then the knockout rounds arrive and suddenly France are still there while everyone else is going home.
It happened in Russia.
It nearly happened again in Qatar.
And there is every reason to believe it could happen in North America.
The squad remains frighteningly strong.
Kylian Mbappé is now entering the years when elite forwards traditionally dominate. William Saliba has developed into one of Europe's most complete defenders. Aurélien Tchouaméni and Eduardo Camavinga are no longer promising youngsters. They are established international players.
The remarkable thing about France is not their starting eleven.
It is the fact that they can lose two or three starters and still look like contenders.
Very few countries can say that.
That is why Portugal may become the story of the tournament.
France may become the winners of it.
Perhaps that feels unfair.
Football supporters often prefer romance to probability.
A Ronaldo triumph would be replayed for decades. It would become one of those sporting moments people remember exactly where they were watching.
But World Cups are usually won by squads rather than stories.
And when the tournament begins next summer, France will arrive with the deepest squad in international football and the memory of a disappointing European Championship still fresh in their minds.
History suggests that combination is dangerous.
Very dangerous.
