“This isn’t over yet.”
These were Cristiano Ronaldo’s words after Portugal’s 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of the Congo in their first Group K match of the 2026 World Cup.
It is speculated that this means he hopes to reach the knockout stages as a member of Portugal’s national team, but does this also apply to his own international career?
Ronaldo is overshadowed by Messi, Mbappe, Haaland and Kane
On what is shaping up to be a historic World Cup, the 41-year-old became the oldest outfield player to start a World Cup match. However, Cameroon great Roger Milla remains the oldest outfield player to appear in a World Cup match, coming on as a substitute and scoring at the age of 42 during the 1994 World Cup.
Ronaldo also became the only player to appear in six World Cups, along with his long-time rival and Argentina captain Lionel Messi.
Less than 24 hours later, Messi scored a hat-trick against Algeria, equaling Ronaldo’s record of scoring in five World Cups and becoming the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer. Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane scored twice for France, Norway and England, with all eyes on another global icon, Houston’s Portuguese number seven.
But Ronaldo led the way through a frustrating afternoon as Portugal dominated possession but were unable to overcome a disciplined Democratic Republic of Congo defence.
He did not appear to be a natural target man, taking just 25 touches, the fewest of any Portugal starter and 10 fewer than Yohan Ouissa, who played up front and scored the DRC’s equalizer. In contrast, Portugal substitute Rafael Leao has had 14 touches since coming on in the 72nd minute.
This was the second-lowest number of touches in Ronaldo’s 23 World Cup appearances, with 17 of his 22 pass attempts going backwards.
He struggled to find space in a disciplined Congolese defense and had three shots, all of which went wide, denying two close-range chances that could have been the winner in the second half, continuing the extravagance he displayed in Portugal’s final warm-up match against Nigeria on June 10.
Ronaldo could make history and score in his sixth World Cup if he can find the back of the net in either the remaining group games or the knockout stage, against Uzbekistan on Tuesday (17:00 GMT) and Colombia next Saturday night (23:30 GMT).
If he does the latter, it will be a first. All eight of his World Cup goals came in group matches. He was dropped for the Round of 16 win over Switzerland in Qatar 2022, making it the first time in 14 years that he did not start in a major, but interestingly in a game his team won 6-1.
Ronaldo has scored 143 goals in 229 appearances, both men’s world records, but his only goal at the last World Cup came from a penalty in the opening game against Ghana. They failed to score at Euro 2024 and failed to score in 10 games in major competitions.
The last time he scored from open play in a major tournament was against Germany at Euro 2020, when he was 36 years old.
“There’s no point in subbing Ronaldo”
Portugal coach Roberto Martínez did not criticize Ronaldo in his post-match press conference, saying: “We have to use all the players on the pitch. The first attacker (Ronaldo) is near the six-yard box and we need to get the ball to him.”
When asked why he did not replace Ronaldo after his ineffective performance, Martínez said: “It makes no sense to send the best scorer in world football in a game where goals are needed.”
“Cristiano’s experience in the box is important for us in moments like this. The way he attracts defenders is important and how he can exploit the space.”
“And every player has a responsibility on the pitch. And obviously, when you want goals, you need Cristiano.”
“Portugal is a better team without him.”
At one point in the second half, Ronaldo broke away on a run towards the six-yard box, moved away from his marker to meet Francisco Conceição’s cutback nine yards out, and ended the sequence with a diagonal shot past the near post.
Directly behind him, Bruno Fernandes, who appeared to have intended a pass, was left holding his head and Ronaldo grimaced.
France’s Thierry Henry, a former World Cup winner, said on Fox in the US:
“But he[Ronaldo]wants to score, so he goes into the path of Fernandes. If he had gone into the six-yard box,[the defenders]would have had to chase him. Then it would have been a tap-in for Fernandes.”
“But he wants to score, so he gets into the path of the pass. He can see both players, which makes it easier to defend,” Henry added.
Former Ghanaian midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng appeared on Australia’s SBS Sports and said: “Can I be honest? If Ronaldo was a real team player, he would step down and let the younger players come in, because Portugal are a better team without him.”
“If Portugal want to have a chance to make a breakthrough, I think Ronaldo should step down and let other players play and play for the last 15 to 20 minutes.”
