The team predicted big things, but one huge question hung over them: little had changed in Portugal between the 2022 and 2026 World Cups.
Cristiano Ronaldoโs lackluster performance in a 1-1 draw with DR Congo on Wednesday added fuel to the heated debate over whether one of the worldโs greatest players should still start in major tournaments at 41.
This is nothing new. The questions facing Portugal coach Roberto Martinez are the same ones that began to trouble his predecessor Fernando Santos in Qatar four years ago. As a result, Santos kicked Ronaldo out after the group games. For now, Martinez is staying with him.
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How we got here remains a mystery to many Portugal fans. The 2022 World Cup was supposed to put an end to this. Ronaldo, then 37, was behind the pace and while it was shocking to find himself on the bench for the knockout stages against Switzerland and Morocco, there was a clear reason for it.
Soon after Qatar, Santos was replaced by Martinez and Ronaldo left Europeโs top league for Saudi Arabia, signing with Al Nasr after a bitter falling out with Manchester United. To most outsiders, it signaled the start of a new era for the Portuguese national team โ without Ronaldo as its face. But the predicted changing of the guard never happened.
There were no emotional statements from Ronaldo. Martinez continued to include him in lineups, just as Santos did. So, four years after what many thought was Ronaldoโs last World Cup, weโre back again. Same problems, same debates.
If anything, Martinez in 2022 looks even more firmly in his position than Santos that Ronaldo is still capable of starting games at this level. Ahead of the Qatar World Cup, Santos and his team held a meeting to discuss the possibility of using Ronaldo as a substitute in certain games. Martinez, at least from the outside, doesnโt seem to think so. He was also tired of questions.
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The Spanish coach is considered one of the nicest people in football, but repeated questions about Ronaldoโs inclusion can sometimes spoil his usual smiling demeanor. Asked about Ronaldoโs ability to remain a starter ahead of Euro 2024, Martinez responded with a question of his own.
โDo you know how many minutes Cristiano played for Al-Nasr last season?โ he asked.
When the reporter responded that he started every game, Martinez smiled wryly. โYou answered your own question,โ he said.
Martinez is smart enough to know that every time he gives an interview to the media, he will be asked about Ronaldo. And more often than not, he is armed with numbers to defend his position.
โTo have a player who has scored 25 goals in his last 30 international appearances is a gift,โ Martinez said in February.
Cristiano Ronaldo is on a streak of 10 games without scoring in major tournaments in Portugal. Molly Darlington/Getty Images
Ronaldo was the top scorer in the 2024/25 Nations League, which Portugal won, scoring in the semi-finals against Germany and the final against Spain. Its internal numbers are also impressive. He scored 30 goals in 37 games for Al Nasr last season. The previous season he scored 35 goals in 41 games.
His detractors, however, will point to the relative weakness of the Saudi Pro League compared to Europeโs top leagues to downplay this achievement. On top of that, Ronaldo has not scored in an open match at a major tournament since June 2021.
For Martinez, however, statistics are statistics. Asked why he kept Ronaldo on the pitch for so long against the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he again relied on Ronaldoโs record. โThere is no point in killing the top scorer in world football in a game where goals are needed,โ Martinez said.
According to some Portugal fans, Ronaldo can do no wrong. Others are so baffled by Martinezโs tough stance that they have become convinced he is trying to keep Ronaldo in the squad because he is due to take over at Al-Nassr after the World Cup.
Ronaldo had only 29 touches in the match against DR Congo, three shots and none on target. He was subsequently criticized by former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry after jumping at the chance when teammate Bruno Fernandes was in a better position.
โThe team needs to score, not you,โ Henry said, implying that Ronaldo was playing for himself and not Portugal.
Paul Scholes, Ronaldoโs former Manchester United teammate, was even more dismissive. โI think a 41-year-old should only start in one position,โ Scholes said. โAnd this is the goalkeeper.โ
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Portuguese Dalot promises that criticism will not hurt Cristiano Ronaldo
The danger for Portugal, who have arguably the best midfielder in the World Cup and are considered real contenders to win it, is that the Ronaldo debate will become too much of a distraction. Most of the teamโs players are used to this, although Martinez took special measures before the World Cup to ensure the squad was ready.
โWhen you have a squad like this, especially with a player like Cristiano, we have to be prepared a little more than usual,โ defender Diogo Dalot said on Saturday.
โThe fact that we had this conversation before the World Cup to prepare for these moments meant that when it did happen, we were able to send a signal that the group was unshakable. We knew this would happen. One positive aspect I see about this is that it happened earlier. The sooner these difficulties arise, the sooner we will leave them behind.โ
The truth, however, is that this wonโt go away until Ronaldo starts scoring, or at least proves that he is an asset rather than a hindrance to an extremely talented group of players.
Portugal face Uzbekistan in Houston on Tuesday, with Ronaldo hoping to end a run of 10 games without a goal in major tournaments. And if he struggles again, the buzz around his starting point will continue to grow.