Will Cristiano Ronaldo inspire or hinder Portugal’s efforts to win the World Cup?
“Am I fine? Yes. Haven’t you been watching the games?”
That was Cristiano Ronaldo’s response before Portugal’s trip to the 2026 World Cup when he was asked if he was ready ahead of his final international tournament.
Ronaldo’s problem is that, yes, people were watching the games, they saw the striker is no longer in form.
Ronaldo missed a number of chances in Portugal’s final warm-up game against Nigeria. His lack of respect had nothing to do with bad luck, his misses were terrible, and his failure to score for a team that didn’t qualify for the World Cup raised many questions about whether a 41-year-old who plays for his club in Saudi Arabia should be leading the line for a team that can’t carry the ambitions of going to North America.
However, Ronaldo will probably start in front of Portugal when they face DR Congo in Houston on Wednesday.
There is no doubting Ronaldo’s international scoring record. He has scored 143 goals for Portugal, 22 of which came in major competitions (World Cup/European Championship). His status as a leader in the dressing room is clear.
The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus man is the man in the middle where Portugal can come together, however, there is a strong case that Roberto Martinez’s side are better without Ronaldo.
A clear case against Ronaldo
Ronaldo did not score at Euro 2024 as Portugal reached the quarter-finals before losing to France on penalties. At the 2022 World Cup, Ronaldo scored once from the penalty spot in the group stage, but Portugal’s best performance came when he was dropped from the starting XI for the last 16 as they beat Switzerland 6-1 with Goncalo Ramos starting up front. Ronaldo came off the bench at the beginning of the second half of the quarter-final match against Morocco but could not prevent Portugal from losing 1-0.
It is Ramos who is expected to be left out of the XI by Ronaldo, and he has reason to be frustrated with the second choice.
Although Ronaldo is an inspirational figure in Portugal, the truth about the news on the field is that he is spending the night of his amazing career in the Al-Nassr team among the small group of Saudi Arabian teams that dominate the Pro League, played at a lower intensity than that of the major European leagues.
He does not play his football in an environment that suits the high demands of the modern game at the highest level. When he scored five goals in the World Cup qualifiers, one came from penalties and two in a 5-0 win over Armenia. That doesn’t take away from the importance of those goals, but the latest reboot is far from shiny.
Ronaldo’s efforts in last year’s UEFA Nations League serve as a counterpoint to the perception that he is a hindrance to Portugal at this point in his career. In this playoff competition, Ronaldo scored three goals, finding the net in the second leg of the quarter final against Denmark before he scored again against Germany in the semi-final and Spain in the final, Portugal won on penalties.
Furthermore, in a competition where set-pieces have quickly become as important as they have been in club football in recent times, Ronaldo is an obvious asset.
However, it is difficult to get rid of the impression that Portugal will be better with Ramos starting.
Why Ramos is a better option
Ramos has scored just six goals for Portugal since scoring a hat-trick against Switzerland in 2022, but has only started nine games in that time. Having only started 10 games in his international career, Ramos’ record of 10 goals in 25 games is impressive.
He is a player who has a history of playing good football when given opportunities by his country. In 2024, Ramos started four times and scored four goals, although the assumption must be made that two of them came in a 9-0 win over Luxembourg.
Despite being used sparingly by Luis Enrique, Ramos’ club football position rivals Ronaldo’s. Two-time European champions, Paris Saint-Germain, unrelenting performance is a prerequisite for joining the club. As such, the Portuguese media may have done well with Ramos on the side.
Despite being second fiddle to PSG, Ramos has a solid goal record for his club. After scoring 18 in all competitions in 2024-25, he scored 12 this season as PSG retained Ligue 1 and the Champions League.
Six of those goals came in Ligue 1, despite Ramos starting 13 times. He did not start the Champions League matches but still scored two goals. Additionally, he marked his Coupe de France appearance with a goal and played a key role in two of PSG’s minor league wins.
Indeed, Ramos scored a 94th-minute equalizer against Tottenham in the UEFA Super Cup, which PSG won on penalties, and then repeated the feat in the 95th minute to level against Marseille to win the Trophee des Champions for Luis Enrique’s men.
Ramos offers more energy than Ronaldo, plays his team’s football at a much higher level and has a similar flair for scoring goals inside the box while showing the ability to find important goals late in games.
A two-point comparison to Ramos was a better option. In a team with as much midfield talent as Portugal boasts, it seems a waste for Martinez to continue working with the wrong option at the head of the attack.
The change that Portugal needs to make
But to call Ronaldo an obstacle would be taking things too far. Although he is obviously going into the World Cup in form, he is still a player who can inspire Portugal. However, their hopes for glory would be better if they were used in a different way.
Ronaldo can still be a leader in the dressing room but, depending on the pitch, it would make sense for him to swap roles with Ramos and serve as an option off the bench. Such a change would improve Portugal’s off-the-ball game and allow Ronaldo to stay fit in a competition where the heat puts a huge burden on players.
That would require management of Ronaldo’s ego by Martinez and, unfortunately, it’s not something the Portugal boss seems ready to do.
Despite the evidence that Ronaldo starting on the bench would be better for Portugal, the expectation is that he will keep his place in the XI.
What could be his last World Cup, that is a decision he and Portugal may regret in the end. In order for Ronaldo not to hurt his and his team’s chance to finally lift the trophy, he may need to accept a reduced role in the biggest stage of all. Don’t expect that to happen anytime soon.
