Cristiano Ronaldo risks ruining his legacy if he continues to stymie Portugal by starting, according to Portuguese journalist Miguel Dantas. At 41, Ronaldo's problem is not his age but that nobody seems willing to tell him what everyone else can see: he is no longer fit to be a Portugal starter.
Patience runs dry after DR Congo draw
More than the shock of Portugal drawing against the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) – a team that had never earned a point at a World Cup – Ronaldo's future has been the country's biggest talking point. The debate raged before the tournament and is deafening now. Dantas writes that whether you are on the subway, walking your dog through the park or doing your shopping, you cannot escape it.
Ronaldo touched the ball 25 times against DRC, the lowest number of anyone who played the entire game for Portugal. He neither threatened the opposition goal nor disrupted the DRC's defensive structure in any meaningful way. DRC midfielder Ngal'ayel Mukau said after the match: "We know that he isn't the same as before. He is a little bit older now. But still, he is one of the greatest to play the game. We have much respect for him."
A duty to recognise diminished star
Dantas argues that players of Ronaldo's stature have a duty to recognise when they are no longer contributing as they once did. By continuing to occupy a position he can no longer justify on merit, he is holding Portugal back and damaging the image he spent his career building. Dantas points out that Portugal have one of the best squads in the world, with players such as Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes and João Neves, and do not need Ronaldo to start any more.
Ronaldo is among the least culpable, Dantas says, as it is natural for a footballer to want to play as much as possible. More surprising is manager Roberto Martínez's approach in starting Ronaldo and leaving him on for the full 90 minutes, and that no one in Ronaldo's inner circle appears willing to tell him the obvious: if he truly wants to serve the team, he should approach the coach about taking a reduced role.
Legacy at stake
Dantas notes that Ronaldo no longer tracks back during defensive transitions and lacks the explosiveness and relentless movement that once defined him. He suggests Ronaldo should remain in the squad for his experience, leadership from the sidelines, and commercial value, but should not be an automatic starter. The saddest part, Dantas writes, is that the greatest player in Portuguese football history risks seriously tarnishing his legacy. He asks: how will Ronaldo be remembered – as the boy from Madeira who conquered world football, or as the ageing superstar who tried to defy time and ended up a shadow of his former self?
