After watching Portugal crash out of the 2022 World Cup in a 1-0 defeat to Morocco, there was a feeling that we had seen Cristiano Ronaldo for the very last time on football’s biggest stage.
He only managed one goal throughout that tournament – penalty in their Group H opener against Ghana – and it’s fair to say he did not have the best of times in Qatar; getting dropped from the starting eleven when the knockout rounds came around.
Fast forward four years later, and Ronaldo is still here, leading the line for Portugal in their opening game against DR Congo.But after another poor performance, it is worth asking if the 2026 World Cup is a tournament too far for the sport’s all time leading goalscorer.
This was the tenth game in a row in major tournaments in which Cristiano has failed to score. For context, Lionel Messi has scored nine goals in World Cup matches since Ronaldo last netted in the competition.
Portugal’s captain came into the game under more scrutiny than usual after Tuesday’s World Cup games where Messi scored a hat trick against Algeria right after superb braces from Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland. All eyes were on him, but he could not match their output.
He struggled to make an impact on a tenacious and determined DR Congo side, who earned their first World Cup point with Yoane Wissa’s goal late in the first half, canceling out Joao Neves’ early headed goal.
With less touches than everyone bar Diogo Costa in goal in the first half, Ronaldo was non-existent. He offered zero threat in behind, finding himself standing offside on most occasions and had zero shots. Now this is a damning indictment on someone leading the line for perhaps the best Portuguese squad ever assembled and one of the early favorites.
But then you remember that Ronaldo is 41 years old and had already shown signs of decline in the previous edition of the tournament. Of course, he wasn’t going to magically become better four years later.So it begs the question, why is Ronaldo still starting for Portugal and even worse, playing the game in its entirety.
After the game, Roberto Martinez defended his decision to leave Ronald on for the full 90 minutes. “In a game like this, where it was difficult to break down the penalty area, it’s crucial to utilise Cristiano’s skills,” he told the media in his post match press conference. “It wouldn’t make sense to take off the best goalscorer in football history in a match where we need to score goals.”
Ronaldo finished with two shots, both off target and zero chances created.Portugal boasts arguably the best midfield amongst all 48 teams with Vitinha, Joâo Neves and Bruno Fernandes.But there seemed to be no connection with their striker all game.
Is Cristiano to blame for all of Portugal’s woes? No.Chances created were at a premium all game, but it is clear that he is offering very little outside box threat for his teammates and the team would need more from him to reach their full potential.
Can he do it at 41? I highly doubt it. Father Time catches up to everyone eventually.Only time will tell if he can make an impact. But Roberto Martinez might have some big decisions to make down the line and honestly, I do not envy him one bit.
