He's scared to take him off. The game has passed him by.
At 41, Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at the 2026 World Cup carrying the weight of a record that no footballer has ever claimed — a goal in six different World Cups — only to find that ambition and opportunity do not always converge. On a night when his peers had already written their names into history, Portugal drew 1-1 with DR Congo in Houston, and the game's most decorated scorer could not find the net. It is a moment that invites reflection not only on the limits of individual greatness, but on how the presence of a legend can reshape the space around him.
- The day before, Mbappé, Haaland, and Messi had each delivered defining performances, raising the stakes for Ronaldo to answer with history of his own.
- Two clear chances in the second half slipped away — one tame, one wide — and with them, any hope of Portugal escaping with a win against a resilient DR Congo side.
- Portugal controlled 75% of possession yet mustered only seven shots, exposing a troubling gap between dominance and danger that pointed beyond Ronaldo alone.
- Analysts argued that Ronaldo's positioning actively disrupted his teammates, blocking a near-certain tap-in for Bruno Fernandes and perhaps discouraging Conceicao from shooting.
- Manager Roberto Martinez drew sharp criticism for leaving Ronaldo on for the full 90 minutes, with former players suggesting his reluctance to substitute the captain bordered on deference over tactics.
The 2026 World Cup had already delivered a day of extraordinary individual brilliance before Portugal kicked off in Houston. Mbappé became France's all-time leading scorer, Haaland announced himself on the World Cup stage, and Messi tied the all-time goals record with a hat-trick. Ronaldo, at 41, had the chance to join that conversation — to become the first player ever to score in six different World Cups. Instead, Portugal stumbled to a 1-1 draw with DR Congo, and the captain left the pitch without a goal.
Portugal had started well. Joao Neves headed in a precise opener from a Pedro Neto cross inside the first ten minutes, and the team looked composed. But Yoane Wissa's equalizer just before halftime unsettled them, and despite holding 75% possession, Portugal managed only seven shots — just one on target. Ronaldo, who finished with the fewest touches of any outfield player to play the full match, had two chances in quick succession midway through the second half. Both arrived from Francisco Conceicao cutting back from the right wing. The first was behind him and he prodded it tamely wide; the second was better placed but he fired it past the post under pressure. It extended his run to 10 consecutive major tournament games without a goal.
The performance ignited debate. Chris Sutton accused manager Roberto Martinez of being too afraid to substitute Ronaldo, while Wayne Rooney, his former teammate, suggested he simply needed better service. Thierry Henry went further, arguing that Ronaldo's movement into the box on the first chance had blocked an unmarked Bruno Fernandes near the penalty spot — a near-certain goal sacrificed for the pursuit of a personal one. Gael Clichy raised a quieter concern: that Ronaldo's presence might unconsciously constrain his teammates, discouraging them from taking responsibility in moments that might otherwise be theirs.
Portugal had the ball, but not the edge. Whether Martinez adjusts his approach — and whether Ronaldo can still find the goal that history is waiting for — now hangs over the matches ahead.
The stage was set for Cristiano Ronaldo to announce himself at the 2026 World Cup on Wednesday. The day before, three of football's brightest stars had delivered: Kylian Mbappé scored twice to become France's all-time leading goalscorer, Erling Haaland marked his World Cup debut with two goals for Norway, and Lionel Messi netted a hat-trick for Argentina to tie Miroslav Klose's record for most World Cup goals in history. Ronaldo, at 41, had a chance to join that conversation—to become the first player ever to score in six different World Cups. Instead, Portugal stumbled to a 1-1 draw against DR Congo in Houston, and the Portugal captain could not find the breakthrough.
The match began promisingly. Pedro Neto's left-wing cross found Joao Neves in the sixth minute, and the Paris St-Germain midfielder headed it past the goalkeeper with precision. Portugal looked in control. But Yoane Wissa, the Newcastle forward, nodded in an equalizer for DR Congo just before halftime, and the momentum shifted. For all Portugal's dominance—they held 75 percent possession—they managed only seven attempts at goal. Just one of those shots found the target: Neves's opening goal.
Ronaldo had two chances in quick succession midway through the second half. Francisco Conceicao, brought on at halftime, cut the ball back from the right wing twice. The first pass arrived slightly behind Ronaldo, and he sent a tame effort past the near post. The second opportunity was better positioned, but DR Congo's defense pressed him, and his finish flew wide. He finished the match with 25 touches—the fewest of any Portugal outfield player who played the full 90 minutes. He has now gone 10 consecutive games at major tournaments without scoring.
The performance sparked debate among the BBC's panel of former players. Chris Sutton, commentating on radio, criticized manager Roberto Martinez for keeping Ronaldo on the field for the entire match rather than making an earlier substitution. "That's embarrassing from Martinez," Sutton said. "He's scared to take him off." Wayne Rooney, Ronaldo's former Manchester United teammate, had predicted before kickoff that the competitive fire would drive Ronaldo to respond to the previous day's heroics from Mbappé, Haaland, and Messi. Instead, Rooney noted at full-time that Ronaldo needed better chances to convert. "If he gets good chances, he'll score goals," he said.
But the analysis went deeper than simple finishing. Thierry Henry, speaking on Fox Sports, suggested that Ronaldo's positioning had actually disrupted Portugal's attacking flow. When Conceicao had the ball in the first chance, Ronaldo's movement into the box blocked a potential pass to Bruno Fernandes, who was unmarked near the penalty spot. "If he goes into the six-yard box, the defender would have had to follow him and it would have been a tap-in for Fernandes," Henry said. "Because he wants to score, he goes into the path of the pass."
Gael Clichy, the former Arsenal and Manchester City defender, raised a subtler concern: that Ronaldo's superstar status might unconsciously influence how his teammates played. "Sometimes those kinds of players can kind of take too much light," Clichy said on BBC One. He suggested that Conceicao might have shot himself in the first chance if Ronaldo had not been on the pitch, and noted that he had seen this dynamic before at his clubs. "When you take them out, you can see players taking responsibility." Clichy was careful to say this was not necessarily Ronaldo's fault, but rather a challenge for the manager to navigate. Martinez had faced a dilemma all match: keep Ronaldo on and hope he finds a goal, or substitute him and risk losing the player who might still deliver a winner.
Portugal's opening group match had not gone to plan. The team had the ball but not the cutting edge, and Ronaldo, chasing history, had come up short when it mattered most. The question now was whether Martinez would adjust his approach in the matches ahead, and whether Ronaldo could shake off the weight of expectation and rediscover his touch.
Citas Notables
That's embarrassing from Martinez. He's scared to take him off.— Chris Sutton, BBC Radio 5 Live commentator
Because he wants to score, he goes into the path of the pass. The team needs to score, not you.— Thierry Henry, Fox Sports analyst, on Ronaldo blocking a pass to Bruno Fernandes
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does Ronaldo's struggle matter more than any other player's bad game?
Because he's 41 and chasing a record no one else has ever reached—scoring in six World Cups. The other superstars delivered the day before. He didn't. That's the story.
But Portugal still had 75 percent possession. Weren't they the better team?
They had the ball, but they didn't know what to do with it. Seven shots, one on target. That's not dominance—that's control without purpose. And some of that might be because Ronaldo's presence changed how his teammates played.
What do you mean by that?
Conceicao had chances to shoot himself, but he kept looking for Ronaldo instead. Fernandes was open in the box, but Ronaldo's movement blocked the pass. It's not malice—it's just what happens when one player is so famous that everyone unconsciously defers to him.
Should Martinez have taken him off?
That's the real question. Keep him on and hope he scores the winner, or substitute him and let the team play more naturally? Martinez chose to keep him on. It didn't work.
Is Ronaldo finished?
Not necessarily. He's 41 and hasn't scored in 10 major tournament games. That's a real drought. But one bad match doesn't end a career. The question is whether he can adjust—whether he can accept a different role, or whether the hunger to score will keep him chasing chances that aren't really his.
What happens next?
Portugal plays again soon. If Ronaldo scores, this becomes a footnote. If he doesn't, the pressure builds. And Martinez has to decide whether the experiment of keeping him central to the attack is still working.