Ronaldo, international football’s all-time leading goalscorer with 146 goals, reinvented Portuguese football, changing its mentality like no player before him.
He arrived at his previous five World Cups with untouchable status, but calls for him to take a step back and play a smaller role on the field are growing.
“He doesn’t play to win, he plays to be the main man,” said Antonio Simoes, Portugal’s third-place finisher at the 1966 World Cup.
“Do you understand that this is the opposite of Eusebio? Let’s call a spade a spade. I have nothing against him. I can still see, I can still hear and I can still think. But I can’t escape the reality of the facts.”
Having scored three times in the USA and Canada, Ronaldo scored in all six World Cups in which he took part.
The penalty against Iran in 2006 was followed by a goal against North Korea in Cape Town four years later. His only goal of the 2014 World Cup came against Ghana in Brasilia.
This was followed by a hat-trick against Spain in a group stage match in Sochi in 2018, and five days later the winning goal against Morocco in Moscow.
Ronaldo’s only goal in Qatar in 2022 was a penalty against Ghana. Before scoring from the penalty spot against Croatia last week, he scored two goals in a 5-0 win over Uzbekistan in Houston on June 23.
“His leadership and work in the final third is still one of the best in the world,” Martinez said when asked about his decision to continue playing in Ronaldo’s starting lineup.
Since Martinez took over as Belgium coach in 2023 after leaving his previous post as head coach, Ronaldo has featured in 36 of Portugal’s 44 games, with most of his absences being due to injury or suspension.
Portugal achieved their biggest win of the season in one of those matches where Ronaldo was not involved – a 9-0 thrashing of Luxembourg in Faro in September 2023.
Their second biggest win, a 9-1 victory over Armenia in Porto last November, was also achieved without Ronaldo.
Unsurprisingly, after both games, discussions quickly resumed about whether the team played better without a captain, but fans continue to worship the player “who made us dream.”