Cristiano Ronaldo: How Portugal's Superstar Turned Into Their Biggest Concern At FIFA World Cup 2026

“The team needs to score, not you need to score” - Thierry Henry's words perfectly captured Cristiano Ronaldo's struggles during the FIFA World Cup 2026 opener against DR Congo on Wednesday. It was an uncharacterstically lackluster show from a superstar who made his name at the back of pure determination and the power to strike fear into the opposition's heart. However, what the fans experienced at the Houston Stadium in Texas was the performance of an aging superstar who is not finding it easy to adapt to his new role. 25 touches and not a single shot on target - these numbers will be horrible for any striker but if it is one of the best footballers in the modern game, the question arises - are we at the end of the road?

Portugal got off to the perfect start thanks to a headed goal by Joao Neves early in the match and it looked like business as usual for them. With a midfield boasting of superstars like Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva, there was hardly any lack of creativity and after just 25 minutes of play, Portugal ended up playing 200 more passes than their opponents.

However, what emerged as the problem was the finishing and creating chances that could eventually end up in a goal. Ronaldo looked rigid as the striker and Portugal ending up taking just six more shots in the entire match after Neves' goal. What was even more concerning that with the match ending 1-1 and DR Congo claiming a historic point, it was actually their opponents who had more shot attempts (eight to seven), more shots on goal (two to one) and more xG created (0.82 to 0.64).

The Ronaldo Problem

Ronaldo claimed the record of being the oldest outfield player to start a match in  World Cup history at the age of 41 years and 132 days. He ended up breaking the record held by Canada's Atiba Hutchinson and it was a testament to his longetivity and commitment to the game. However, although people say "age is just a number", it does catch up with athletes.

Ronaldo was a fiery winger in his youth who was known for dribbling past oppositions and pulling off physical feats that left the world stunned. However, over the years, he has adopted a more central forward role with little defensive contributions. In the current Portuguese system, he hardly ever drops back to help in build-up with his goal-scoring being his only purpose.

However, with zero goals in his last 10 World Cup and Euro matches, even the numbers show a clear story of struggle.

Farewell Tour Impacting Portugal's Chances?

At 41, it is likely that Ronaldo will not play any more World Cups. The fanfare around his every move has been sensational in the build-up to the tournament and with 28 goals in 30 games for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, he seemed ready.

But, a closer look at his performances for Portugal in the recent past revealed a horror story.

The superstar has played 396 out of possible 420 minutes in the team's last four matches in major competitions. In these games, Portugal have scored just once. While the team average 1.9 goals per game when he starts, it jumps to 2.8 when he does not. Even that average is a bit skewed considering it includes a 9-1 victory over Armenia.

A comparison with Lionel Messi is quite natural but what the Argentine footballer lacks in pace, he makes up in link-up play and spacial awareness. The system utilised by Argentina allows faster players to make runs into the attacking third while Messi adopts a more deeper role which he uses to either make the pass or create a long-range attempt.

In comparison, Portugal are stacked by technicians like Bruno and Vitinha who are brilliant in creating chances but a wayward or misfiring Ronaldo can be the difference that ends up causing the team some grief in the tournament. Even on Wednesday, Portugal controlled the game but the spark to create something special just never came from Ronaldo and Co.

Burden Of History

At the end of the match, Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez was clear about his decision to play Ronaldo for 90 minutes. "In a match like today's, where it was difficult to get into the box, it is important to use Cristiano's quality. It makes no sense to take off the greatest goalscorer in the history of football in a match where we need goals," he told the media.

The words could not have been more accurate but they also hold the essence of the core problem. He is indeed one of the greatest goalscorers in the history of football but that Ronaldo has not been seen on the international stage for quite some time. Instead, we have an aging superstar who still has the mental prowess but not the physical grit to play his natural game.

Against DR Congo. we saw a Ronaldo who neither helped his side in creating opportunities nor came up with anything special to clinch the game for his side.

It was a superstar who seemed like a shadow of his old self and a seemingly weak link in the Portuguese system that can bring their World Cup dreams crashing down to the ground.