Portugal's World Cup Debate: Ronaldo's Role in Question
Portugal’s World Cup plans were supposed to glide into gear in Houston. Instead, they walked straight into an argument that has followed them for years.
A 1-1 draw with DR Congo to open their 2026 campaign was damaging enough on its own terms. In a group where the margins will be thin, dropping early points piles on pressure. But the real noise came from the same familiar fault line: what to do about Cristiano Ronaldo.
A flat night, a fierce debate
On the pitch, the script began perfectly. Joao Neves struck early, a composed finish that seemed to confirm Portugal’s technical superiority and calm any first-night nerves. Roberto Martinez’s side moved the ball with authority, pushed DR Congo back, and for a brief spell looked every inch a heavyweight easing into a long tournament.
Then the grip loosened.
Yoane Wissa dragged DR Congo level before half-time, punishing slackness and injecting belief into the underdogs. From there, the game grew scrappy, anxious. Portugal still had the ball, still had territory, but not the edge. The longer it stayed level, the heavier every touch seemed to become.
This is usually the moment Ronaldo bends a night to his will. Not this time.
Playing at a record-extending sixth World Cup, the captain cut an increasingly frustrated figure. He failed to register a shot on target and squandered two clear chances, the kind that once felt routine for him. The aura remained. The execution did not.
Bothroyd: “He should step down”
Outside the Portuguese camp, patience snapped.
Speaking on Sky Sports, former England striker Jay Bothroyd did not bother with diplomacy. He argued that Portugal’s evolution now depends on Ronaldo accepting a reduced role.
“Have to be honest, I think if Ronaldo is a team player, I think he should step down and understand that he has to be a player that comes off the bench as an impact player,” Bothroyd said. “Is he ever going to do that? Nope, I don’t think he is. And that’s my point.”
The criticism went beyond missed chances. For Bothroyd, the problem is structural, almost psychological, for both player and team.
“I look at Ronaldo and… the Ronaldo faithful are going to hate me today, but it looks like it’s all about him, yeah? You know, and he’s always chasing Messi all the time,” he added. “He’s never going to be Messi, but what he has throughout his career, he’s made the absolute most out of his career… But right now he’s becoming more of a hindrance for Portugal than help, and I think that’s where Martinez is going wrong.”
It was a blunt assessment, aimed as much at the dugout as the No. 7.
Martinez doubles down
Inside the camp, there is no such doubt. Not publicly, at least.
Roberto Martinez, who has consistently built his attacking structure around Ronaldo since taking the job, did not hesitate to defend his captain after the draw.
“It makes no sense to get the best goalscorer in world football out in a game that you need goals,” he told reporters. For Martinez, the argument is simple: big moments demand big finishers, even on an off night.
He pointed to the less obvious elements of Ronaldo’s presence.
“For us in moments like this, the experience of Cristiano in the box is important,” he said. “The way that he attracts defenders is important, the way that we can use the space is important. And every player has a responsibility or a piece of quality on the pitch. And clearly when you look for goals, you need to have Cristiano.”
In other words, the captain stays. The system stays. The bet on experience over transition remains firmly on the table.
A team caught between eras
That is where the tension lies. Portugal are stacked with emerging talent – Neves’ opener in Houston underlined that – yet the side still orbits a 39-year-old forward whose standards, inevitably, are no longer what they once were.
When the goals flow, the compromise feels worth it. When they don’t, every heavy touch and every missed chance becomes a referendum on the future.
The draw with DR Congo will not define Portugal’s World Cup. But it has done something else: it has stripped away any illusion that this debate can be dodged for much longer. Tougher opponents are coming, the stakes will rise, and the question will only get louder.
How long can Martinez keep building around Ronaldo before the cost outweighs the comfort?
