The Ronaldo Question: Is Portugal's Legend Now a Liability?
At 41 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo made history again at World Cup 2026 — but not the kind he wanted. His full 90 minutes against DR Congo ended in frustration, a missed chance to write himself alone into the record books, and a wave of criticism now dominating the conversation around Portugal's campaign.
🔑 Key Takeaways
🏆 The Record That Got Away
Ronaldo became only the second player ever to appear in six different FIFA World Cups — 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026 — a genuinely rare feat. But he wasn't first: Lionel Messi reached the same milestone just one day earlier, on his way to a hat-trick against Algeria. Ronaldo's chance to be the outright record-breaker, and to become the first player ever to score in six separate World Cup tournaments, slipped away against Congo DR.
He finished the match with zero shots on target, his sixth time at a World Cup ending a game without testing the goalkeeper once.
📊 The Performance Behind the Backlash
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez brushed off questions about substituting Ronaldo, insisting it makes no sense to take off the best goal-scorer in world football during a game his team needed goals in. But the numbers tell a more complicated story.
Ronaldo managed just three shot attempts across the full match, was shut down effectively by Congo DR's experienced backline, and could not convert Portugal's territorial dominance into a breakthrough. It's reignited a familiar debate among fans and pundits: is Ronaldo's guaranteed starting spot now holding back a Portugal squad stocked with attacking depth on the bench?
Martinez, for his part, isn't entertaining the idea, pointing to past tournaments where slow starts didn't stop eventual champions — Argentina's 2022 loss to Saudi Arabia and Spain's 2010 defeat to Switzerland among them.
