World Cup: Will planning around an ageing Ronaldo cost Portugal dear?

Much like any leader, Cristiano Ronaldo has issued a rallying cry for his Portugal teammates on social media after they were held to an embarrassing 1-1 draw by the Democratic Republic of Congo on the night of Wednesday, 17 June. Ironically though, the talismanic captain is facing flak for his own nondescript performance and the team’s inability to close the match after Congo’s equaliser, raising questions as to whether coach Roberto Martinez is actually harming the team's cause by planning around him.   

Taking the field on the heels of some sensational marksmanship by Leo Messi, Kylian Mbappe and young turk Erling Halland, one expected a show of a champion’s ego from CR7, arguably the greatest goal-scorer of this century with 143 international strikes and nearly 1,000 career goals. What, however, transpired was an insipid performance, with only three shots at the goal and zero chances. On this night at least, the 41-year-old seemed well past his prime.

The inevitable trolling followed on social media, made worse by a candid admission from DR Congo midfielder Ngal’ayel Mukau that they did not need any ‘special plans’ to contain the ageing star. The most damning media headline, meanwhile, perhaps came from The Independent of UK when it said: ‘10 men and a statue, Portugal are sacrificing another World Cup for Cristiano Ronaldo’s ego.’

That may seem harsh to the legion of Ronaldo fans, but it wasn't really far from the truth. A draw in their opener in Group K, where the other two teams are Colombia and Uzbekistan, significantly dents this uber talented Portugal team’s chances of topping the group — which would possibly line up a quarter-final clash with Argentina on 11 June. And with it, the chances of Messi-Ronaldo meeting one last time in the twilight of their careers now appear slim.

The question of whether Ronaldo is overstaying his welcome in the international arena — to play a record sixth World Cup — has begun doing the rounds. Detractors, however, would do well to remember that he is just one goal away from touching the all-time World Cup high-scorers’ mark, a record jointly held by Miroslav Klose and Messi (16 goals) at the moment, and one strike in the next game would sweep all such criticism under the carpet.

However, it’s more about team goals rather than a personal landmark on football's biggest stage, and this is where Martinez’s persistence with Ronaldo at the expense of others raises serious eyebrows.  

Speaking on ESPN FC, TV pundit and former Venezuela international Aljandro Moreno said: “If he’s (Ronaldo) not scoring goals, if he’s not creating opportunities for himself or for anybody else, then the team is playing so it can find an opportunity for him. And it just doesn’t work.”  

Unbelievable as it may seem, but Ronaldo last scored for Portugal in a World Cup game at Qatar 2022 and has now gone goalless in a World Cup or Euro game for 10 matches — that's 801 minutes. Hence, it showed a lack of courage on Martinez’s part when — with Portugal desperately looking to regain the lead in the Congo game — he took off four of their most creative players, Bernardo Silva, Pedro Neto, Nuno Mendes and Vitinha, but Ronaldo stayed on.

Martinez defended his decision later: ‘’It makes no sense to get the best goalscorer in world football out in a game in which you need goals.’’ It’s a positive sign that Martinez wants to stay invested in his leader unlike his predecessor Fernando Santos, who didn’t give Ronaldo his due importance in Euro 2024.

However, time is running out for Ronaldo to prove that he can still play a part on the big stage…