Cristiano Ronaldo hinders Portugal: It would not be good for football if it won the World Cup
The year is 2026. Cristiano Ronaldo clears Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha and Bernardo Silva from the dead ball and stands on top of it himself; Key pose, breathing deep enough to immerse himself from reality. The captain takes a step to his left, runs to the ball and releases it.
Of course, it floats in orbit. Nike ads aside, y’all Cristiano Ronaldo The free kick you saw has done this for at least five years.
Which one we describe in particular does not matter. I’ve seen enough clips by now of the 41-year-old Ronaldo imitating the 21-year-old Ronaldo: the stutter, the strides, the stance that gets a little stiffer with age. Right now, it feels like Ronaldo free kick memes have been in power longer than Ronaldo has been a master of free kicks. For anyone who loved the 2006 player version of this, it’s a bit sad.
There is no shame in aging: the world has changed a lot in these two decades. Portugal They won their first international title at that time. UEFA created a completely new competition, which Portugal participated in and won twice. The nation now enters tournaments not as a dark horse, but rather as a template Holland or Belgiumbut as one of the true superpowers in world football, it is considered stronger from player to player Brazil. That would have seemed completely bananas even when Ronaldo made his debut.
The man himself was busy at that time as well. He scored more than 900 goals in his career, won five Ballon d’Ors and won the European Championship. However, perhaps more importantly, Lionel Messi has won eight titles and lifted the World Cup. Thus, Ronaldo, like Mufasa, clings to the rock face, so that he can imitate it.
The signs were always there that something like this could happen. Not celebrating his teammates’ goals. Starting in the UEFA Euro 2016 final, and insisting on coaching the team from the bench, coach Fernando Santos seems too afraid to ask his team captain to sit. It went so far as to attempt to steal a goal scored by Bruno Fernandes in the 2022 World Cup, but the technology inside the ball exposed the plot.
2026 Ronaldo is something else entirely. Man like body double. The ego anchor to which manager Roberto Martinez ties his good ship is Portugal, seemingly unaware that he can drag the crew with him, as he did in Turin and Manchester.
Those who still support the legend point to the title win in Saudi Arabia, the glowing endorsement for Martinez – who is free to drop him at any time – and most importantly and most impressively, the fact that his 13 goals since Euro 2024 are over. Now then, no one could argue.
They will tell you that Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, is Miroslav Klose or Davor Suker at their best. Goals win games, and no one in history has fulfilled the promise of that premise with equal certainty. “Till the wheels fall off” may be a cue for some players to retire: judging by the numbers on the page, the wheels are still very much turning.
No, goals have not been the problem since Ronaldo left real madrid. More than 100 in three years Juventus; Return one of two to Manchester United. It’s more than just the overall game that’s the problem – and that’s a problem in itself, which is trying to argue with cold, hard statistics. But all-round play was an issue in 2022, when Ronaldo was inexplicably left out (to him, at least) in favor of Goncalo Ramos, who scored a hat-trick in his absence. Ronaldo is now four years older, and perhaps four years worse. It was a problem at Juve, when the dynasty died at his feet. It was a problem when Old Gunnar Solskjaer’s team collapsed spectacularly after a steady operation, after adding this very piece to the engine.
For those seeing with their own eyes, Ronaldo was never the only natural centre-forward. He was a winger, then an inside-forward, and then Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane paired him with Karim Benzema to devastating effect. It’s not just that Ronaldo doesn’t press: he doesn’t hold the ball, collect the ball, win the first ball, win the second ball, drift, or make a lone striker move.
Kylian Mbappé is in a similar boat. The Frenchman was at his best in Monaco’s second attack, then to the right or left Paris Saint-GermainOr alongside Olivier Giroud. As Real Madrid’s only No. 9, he has also been subject to similar criticism, despite the deluge of goals. However, Mbappe is at his best. Ronaldo’s peak – depending on who you ask – was about 10 to 15 years ago. At the time, his ambitions seem to have shrunk rather than grown: he simply wants to be in the penalty box.
Watching Portugal in its final two friendlies before heading to North America was worrying. Even those who worship in Cristiano’s temple should be apprehensive: if I were kind, I would say he’s not quite there yet.
Although, let’s just say the criticism is loaded when it comes to the CR7.
What was once a debate between the two giants of their generation has turned into a philosophical question. If Messi is a socialist leader, declining with age in his provision and assistance as much as he earns his glory – as evidenced by a stunning overhead kick after coming down against Iceland in his last game before the World Cup – then Ronaldo is the opposite. Ronaldo is almost a liberal figure. A proud individualist, he overcame systemic barriers through strict discipline, prioritized his production and refused to accept limits. He’s not a cog in a machine: he’s the brand hero who saves the day.
But while Portugal has fielded similar star-studded squads in past tournaments – some of which mirror Ronaldo’s own club setups with gems taken from Europe’s best teams – they head to North America with a far more cohesive squad. Midfield alone might be better. Joao Neves and Vitinha rival anyone’s in their combination of legs and control, a Dual axis With gear stick control that no one can compete with this summer. Before them, Bruno Fernandes enjoyed the season of his life, recording a record-tying 20 league assists this season, before the Premier League handed him a one-for-one bonus for good behavior on the final day of the season.
Nuno Mendes is by far the best left-back in the world currently. Diogo Costa has a reputation as an expert penalty saver. Ruben Dias and Joao Cancelo are the veteran winners. Pedro Neto, Gonçalo Ramos and Rafael Leao would be the envy of many countries. It’s a really impressive team, without too much star ego. Well, apart from the obvious.
This is a problem for Martinez, whether he realizes it or not. When you get down to it, it could be a problem for the sport if this team overcomes all the odds – most of which are stacked by their captain.
Ronaldo has been synonymous with ‘mentality’ in this game as long as he has been up against the so-called ‘more natural talent’ of Messi. Not only his career path, but his body language, gestures and even his smiles have been closely analyzed by those parts of him who are eager for such success. His ascension to the throne was a lesson for all of us; Watching him refuse to let go with grace must be good too.
What would it mean for us if this individualism triumphed on the biggest stage of all? Is it good that Ronaldo is finally having his time in the sun?
Or is there something fundamentally weird about suggesting that the path to glory is about hanging out as much as physically possible before getting your nails clipped off the cliff by those who follow in your footsteps? Is dignity as important as victory? Is legacy as much about what you don’t do as it is about what you do, and what you continue to do to the world when everyone wishes you wouldn’t?
It’s not a personal insult, but it will feel like the villain is winning. It would almost be more romantic if Ronaldo stepped aside, using his insatiable hunger to push others. His final dance could be a final twist: CR7, the super-submarine, coming in the 75th minute, turning Portugal’s way into a series of 15-minute penalties, where even at 41 he can find a niche. At the start of every match, taking away set pieces from Bruno Fernandes, and wasting chance after chance, it certainly hinders Martinez more than it helps him.
One day, we will show videos of Cristiano Ronaldo to our children and grandchildren. We will tell them about the war between ideologies, Ronaldo on the one hand, and Messi on the other. Depending on what we show them, they may simply not believe us.
Which this The four-legged man who constantly teetered on the verge of a tantrum, striking the fear of Satan into every defender who dared to face him? He has inserted himself into discussions about whether he could become the greatest footballer to ever grace the turf? There is still time for Cristiano Ronaldo to write another chapter of his story, and it may not be in his or the sport’s best interest.
