Rooney Defends Ronaldo After World Cup Opener. The Internet Split on Whether He’s Right.

Cristiano Ronaldo had a night to forget in Houston. Portugal opened their World Cup campaign against DR Congo as heavy favorites. They walked away with a 1-0 win that felt more like a loss. The goal came early. After that, nothing.

Portugal’s attack went cold. DR Congo packed the box and dared them to find a way through. They couldn’t. Ronaldo played all 90 minutes and finished with a 5.6 rating. Zero goals, zero real threats. That’s now 10 straight major tournament games without a goal for the 41-year-old. The trolls had a field day.

Rooney steps in with a tactical take

Enter Wayne Rooney. The former Manchester United teammate came to Ronaldo’s defense with a breakdown that sounded less like a pep talk and more like a coach breaking down film.

“What Ronaldo’s doing is he’s taking that option away from defenders,” Rooney said. “He’s standing behind them, then they’re looking over their shoulders, like ‘where is he?’, then they drop and then it creates a lot of space in front of the back four. It’s really clever.”

Rooney’s point is that Ronaldo’s presence alone warps the defense. Even if he doesn’t score, the threat of him forces defenders to drop deeper, opening space for midfielders and wingers to operate. That’s a real thing. Roberto Martínez’s system may rely on exactly that kind of gravity. But it’s also true that Portugal needed someone to actually finish a chance in the second half and Ronaldo couldn’t deliver.

The internet fights itself

Rooney’s comments landed like a grenade. Some fans backed him hard. One wrote: “Rooney talks proper football and I’ve heard him talking crap about Ronaldo so he ain’t glazing here he’s speaking facts and will criticise you for doing nothing.” Another added: “When you understand ball, you know he’s talking sense.”

But plenty of others rolled their eyes. “Yeah Wayne Rooney probably doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” one person wrote. Another joked: “United players must be contractually obliged.” The thread turned into a proxy war between people who think Ronaldo is washed and people who think his off-ball movement still changes games.

Both sides kind of have a point. Ronaldo didn’t create anything. But DR Congo’s game plan clearly revolved around him. That’s not nothing.

Portugal still has two group games left. They need Ronaldo to bounce back — or at least need someone to step up and finish the chances his movement creates. Otherwise, that 5.6 rating might start looking generous.