Portugal coach Roberto Martinez is done listening to the noise. After his team managed only a 1-1 draw with DR Congo in their World Cup opener last week, the criticism came hard and fast. Most of it landed on Cristiano Ronaldo, who at 41 years old looked everything like a guy who just played his first game of a major tournament in years.
Martinez called the backlash “unfair and unjust” during a press conference Monday. He didn’t mention Ronaldo by name but the subtext was obvious. The Portugal captain had just 25 touches against Congo, fired two shots wide in the second half, and generally looked disconnected from the attack. Joao Neves put Portugal up in the sixth minute but Yoane Wissa equalized before halftime and Portugal never found another gear despite heavy possession numbers.
When a reporter asked Martinez whether Ronaldo would start Tuesday against Uzbekistan, the coach shut it down fast. “I can’t inform you about the starting 11 because I haven’t informed my players,” he said. That’s coach-speak for ‘I’m not tipping my hand,’ but it also left the door open for Ronaldo to sit.
Ronaldo’s response so far
Ronaldo didn’t talk to reporters after the game but hit social media instead. First post: “It wasn’t the start we wanted, but this is far from over. Head up and focus on the next game.” Then on Sunday he dropped four training photos with the caption “Focused on the mission.” Classic Ronaldo. Controlled. On-brand.
He’s chasing history here. Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the only men to play in six World Cups. Ronaldo still hasn’t scored in this tournament, meaning he needs a goal to become the first player ever to score in six different World Cups. Messi already has five goals in two matches this year and 18 total across five tournaments, so the race for legacy goals is very much alive.
Martinez still believes
Despite the rough opener, Martinez doubled down on his star. “Cristiano is the best one to do that,” he said when asked about finishing chances in the final third. “The numbers support this of this iconic player who is Cristiano Ronaldo. If you look at the past 32 games, he is the player that has extra movement opening spaces and finding pockets.”
That’s a lot of faith in a 41-year-old forward who looked a step slow and a half-step behind the play. But here’s the thing about Ronaldo: he’s been written off before. It never sticks.
Portugal came into this tournament as one of the favorites. One draw against Congo doesn’t change that, but it does make Tuesday’s game against Uzbekistan feel a lot bigger than it should. Uzbekistan is not a team that should push Portugal. But if they drop points again, the questions about Ronaldo’s place in the lineup go from background noise to a full-blown crisis.
Martinez said the team is “even more united than before” after the draw. We’ll see how united they look if Ronaldo goes another 90 minutes without a goal and Portugal’s World Cup chances start slipping away.
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