Football is a game of opinions. Those of a certain generation might still argue Diego Maradona trumps Lionel Messi, some believe Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ were better than Manchester United’s Treble-winning team, while the Scholes/Gerrard/Lampard debate still tediously rumbles on.
The Messi/Ronaldo debate was settled about a decade ago, with only a handful of stragglers still unable to quite let go of the notion that Ronaldo was the superior of the two.
On the topic of stragglers unable to quite let go, we arrive at Cristiano Ronaldo’s contributions to the Portugal national team.
There’s an argument that the best, purest version of Ronaldo came in his Manchester United days, pre-knee injury that saw him develop into one of the most potent goalscorers the game has ever seen.
But whenever you think his best was, it wasn’t in the last 10 years. Time waits for no man, and while Ronaldo’s immaculate conditioning kept him playing for Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United well into his 30s, the move to Saudi Arabia has been somewhat undignified for a footballer of Ronaldo’s stature, still chasing whatever glories there are to be had in the Middle East.
There’s no harm done there, of course. Ronaldo gets a gargantuan salary and a new demographic of football fans get to watch one of the game’s greats.
But what is happening with Portugal is utterly perplexing. A nation with gifted players smattered throughout its history – Eusebio, Luis Figo, Rui Costa, Deco – found itself with a squad genuinely capable of challenging for, and winning, major trophies. Vitinha, Joao Neves, Nuno Mendes and Goncalo Ramos all made Paris Saint-Germain’s back-to-back UEFA Champions League-winning squad; Bruno Fernandes has just broken the Premier League's single-season assist record.
And yet all of this is being jeopardised to placate one man’s ego.
There are seemingly two people left on the planet who truly believe Ronaldo should be starting for Portugal: unfortunately, they happen to be the manager, and Ronaldo himself. Lessons clearly haven’t been learned from the 2022 World Cup nor the 2024 Euros and Ronaldo continues to hold his side hostage.
When Portugal do ultimately fail at this World Cup, fingers will be pointed. They’ll be pointed at Ronaldo for his lacklustre performances, they’ll be pointed at Roberto Martinez for allowing this charade to continue, but perhaps fingers should be pointed at the Portuguese FA, who’ve overseen all of this.
Appointing Martinez – a man who was inexplicably trusted with Belgium’s golden generation having been sacked by Everton – was their first mistake, but seeing his approach to Euro 2024 and leaving him in post was their second.
Predecessor Fernando Santos, who took Portugal to Euro 2016, recognised that Ronaldo was actively harming his team’s chances of success at the 2018 World Cup and dared to stand up to his then-captain, swapping him with Goncalo Ramos, who immediately scored a hat-trick in Portugal’s round of 16 game en route to a 6-1 win.
Martinez, however, came in and reinstated Ronaldo as his number nine, and while Ronaldo was still capable of popping up with goals, it’s so often to the detriment of the rest of the team.
Against DR Congo, no outfield starter for Portugal attempted fewer high-speed runs (measured as 15-20kmh) or sprints than Ronaldo. Only the removed Bernardo Silva and Pedro Neto covered less ground than Ronaldo who, unlike an Olivier Giroud-type forward for example, simply isn’t contributing when he’s not scoring.
One of the more alarming elements of Martinez’s management, and a symbol of how in hock he is to his captain, is that Ronaldo is still trusted to take free-kicks for the side.
Ronaldo has never in his career been a particularly good free-kick taker. His goals against Portsmouth and Arsenal are remembered fondly; less fondly remembered are the countless efforts blasted into the wall or high into the stands. And yet Martinez cannot bring himself to stand Ronaldo down. Is he scared of managing Ronaldo? Does he actually think Ronaldo is the most suitable free-kick taker? It’s alarming either way.
And if Martinez won’t take him off free-kicks, is he willing to drop him? Bernardo Silva dropped a stinker against DR Congo and was rightly hooked at half-time. Ronaldo was given a reprieve, contributing nothing.
Portugal are now in a tricky spot. They must beat Uzbekistan next and then Colombia in order to top their group and avoid the top half of the draw, which may well include Germany, Spain and France.
Based on Wednesday’s efforts, beating Uzbekistan is no foregone conclusion let alone Colombia as well. After Joao Neves’s opener, Portugal failed to register another shot for another hour. It was an inexplicably bad performance from Portugal, but there don’t need to be wholesale changes from Martinez to see an immediate improvement.
Portugal have about as many world-class players as anyone else at the tournament, but Ronaldo continues to hold them back.
No goals in his last five World Cup appearances, no goals in his last six Euros appearances.
It can’t go on like this, can it?
