HOUSTON, DALLAS — As global football powerhouses kicked off their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaigns in North America, the opening matchday for Portugal has turned into a burning debate over the future of one of the sport’s greatest ever players: Cristiano Ronaldo. While contemporaries Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland have all turned in electrifying early tournament performances, the 41-year-old Portuguese icon delivered a distinctly underwhelming showing in Wednesday’s 1-1 stalemate against the Democratic Republic of Congo, leaving manager Roberto Martinez facing an existential selection dilemma ahead of the team’s second group stage match.
Once locked in a legendary rivalry with Messi for the title of the world’s best active footballer, Ronaldo struggled to impose himself as Portugal’s central striker against the African underdogs. He completed the full 90 minutes but managed only 25 total touches on the ball — the lowest number he has ever recorded in a full match for Portugal at a major senior tournament. The gap in form between Ronaldo and Messi could not have been starker: just 24 hours before Portugal’s opening match, 38-year-old Messi bagged a hat-trick to lead defending champions Argentina to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Algeria.
For a Portugal side widely tipped as an outside contender for the World Cup title, a draw against the DRC marked a hugely underwhelming start. This World Cup is the DRC’s first appearance at the global tournament since 1974, when the nation competed under the name Zaire. Even as Portugal pushed desperately for a late winning goal, Ronaldo never looked likely to find the back of the net, yet Martinez opted to keep his veteran captain on the pitch for the entire match.
Martinez defended his call after the final whistle, arguing that “When you are looking for goals you need Cristiano on the pitch, it makes no sense to get the best goal-scorer in the world out in a game where you need goals. In moments like this, the experience of Cristiano in the box is important.”
The match has reignited long-simmering questions about Ronaldo’s place in the current Portugal setup as he nears the end of his legendary career. A former superstar of Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Juventus, Ronaldo has built his legacy on unparalleled fitness and an unwavering drive to be the best. This tournament sees him tie the record for appearing at six World Cups, a testament to his decades-long commitment to physical conditioning. This season alone, he scored 30 goals in 37 appearances for Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr, and he holds an all-time Portugal record of 143 international goals across 229 caps.
As age has slowed his pace, Ronaldo has transitioned from a dynamic winger to a stationary central striker, but he failed to capitalize on his chances against the DRC — ranked 46th in the FIFA rankings compared to Portugal’s 5th spot. He pushed two close-range efforts wide after being teed up by winger Francisco Conceicao, and drew sharp criticism for poaching a cut-back pass that was destined for Bruno Fernandes, who was in a far better goalscoring position.
Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry, commentating for Fox Sports, called out Ronaldo’s decision as selfish, noting “The team needs to score, not you need to score.”
Ronaldo’s scoring drought at major tournaments now stretches back 10 matches, a clear indicator of his reduced impact at the highest level of international football. Back at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, former manager Fernando Santos made headlines when he dropped a out-of-form Ronaldo for the knockout stage, a decision that stunned the global football community. Four years on, critics say Martinez’s unwavering public support for the veteran is even more puzzling.
When asked after the match if the DRC had a specific gameplan to mark Ronaldo, opposing midfielder Ngal’ayel Mukau offered a blunt but respectful assessment: “Not really. We know he’s no longer the same player as before and that he’s older now. At his age he can no longer put in the same effort as before, but I have tremendous respect for him.”
Mukau’s measured take was far milder than the backlash directed at both Ronaldo and Martinez from football pundits. Many analysts have accused Martinez of being unwilling to drop or substitute his captain out of fear of the backlash that would follow. Writing for the BBC after the match, former Premier League striker Chris Sutton slammed Martinez’s 83rd-minute substitution that saw him take off midfielder Vitinha rather than Ronaldo: “That’s embarrassing from Martinez. He’s scared to take him off. He’s not the manager… the game has passed him (Ronaldo) by today.”
Critics point out that Martinez has no shortage of ready alternatives to Ronaldo in his squad. Goncalo Ramos, the young Paris Saint-Germain striker who replaced Vitinha against the DRC, is a natural out-and-out number nine and a proven replacement at the international level.
Portugal’s next group stage match is against Uzbekistan, who are making their first-ever World Cup appearance this tournament. Even as mounting evidence suggests Ronaldo is no longer the right choice to start, most football observers expect the veteran captain to retain his place in Martinez’s starting eleven for the crucial second fixture.