Too old. Too slow. Playing in Saudi Arabia. Holding the team back. The arguments against him have followed Portugal to every major tournament for the better part of a decade. And yet here he is again – captain, talisman and record-breaker – preparing for a sixth World Cup at 41.
Roberto Martinez made his choice when he was appointed in 2023. He could have drawn a line under the Ronaldo era and built around the extraordinary talent emerging around him. Instead he kept faith with the captain and has not wavered since.
The results have justified the decision to a degree. Portugal won the 2025 Nations League, with Ronaldo scoring against Spain in the final to claim his third international trophy. He has scored 25 goals in 30 games under Martinez. The coach insists the selection is based on merit.
But the debate refuses to die.
Bruno Fernandes gave voice to the tension in December. “I know what people think – that it’s clear we play better without Ronaldo, that the players are freer and more fluid,” the Manchester United playmaker told Canal 11.
“If that happens it’s partly our fault. We can’t worry if Cristiano is on the pitch, because Cristiano can give us things.”
What Fernandes did not say was that Portugal’s pressing suffers with Ronaldo in the side and the team can appear more cohesive without him. At Euro 2024, Martinez started him in all five matches and he failed to score.
Portugal went out in the quarter-finals – a result many felt fell short of what the squad was capable of.
The squad heading to North America is arguably the strongest Portugal have ever assembled. Vitinha, Joao Neves and Nuno Mendes are among the best players in their positions in the world after PSG’s Champions League triumph. Fernandes just broke the Premier League assists record. The platform for a first World Cup triumph is there.
Ronaldo himself is 17 goals shy of 1,000 for club and country. He has been playing as a centre-forward rather than a wide attacker for several years now and remains dangerous inside the box.
“Nothing is better than winning for Portugal,” he said after the Nations League triumph. “It’s tears. It’s mission accomplished.”
Portugal face DR Congo on 17 June, Uzbekistan on 23 June and Colombia on 28 June in Group K. Whether Ronaldo is the reason they win it or the reason they fall short is the question that will define their summer.
– AFP
Photo: Pedro Loureiro/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
