Yukihito Taguchi-USA TODAY Sports
Portugal could be entering the 2026 World Cup as one of the favorites. The problem, however, is that their team appears to be carrying dead weight: Cristiano Ronaldo.
While he was once undoubtedly one of the greatest players of his generation and of all time, that is simply no longer the case for 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo. And yet, his grip on the national team remains so strong that he’s not only the team’s starting striker, but has enough cache within the Portuguese Football Federation to silence all dissenters.
Ronaldo’s ego and diminishing ability on-the-field was an issue for Portugal at the 2022 World Cup, the 2024 Euros, and looks set to again be a massive issue at this year’s World Cup in North America, certainly after his abysmal performance in a warm-up match against Chile on Saturday.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s massive ego and diminishing skills looks set to be a massive issue for Portugal at the 2026 World Cup
The issues stemming from Ronaldo’s presence on the field are multifaceted. On one hand, he’s simply not as technically excellent as he used to be:
I get it he’s the most prolific goalscorer in football but his power, ego and influence has held Portugal back for the last few tournaments
The current version of him is beyond parody. Like the boy at fives that laces the ball towards goal whenever the ball goes to him
Finished https://t.co/FHxzgxIRmN
— 𝐃𝐈𝐆𝐁 (@_DIGB) June 7, 2026
I’ll actually still in tears man, Portugal have a great team but this homelander might ironically be their downfall 😭 https://t.co/WtBAn0tnfm
— Mod (@CFCMods) June 7, 2026
On the other, his ego and seemingly singular focus on scoring goals prevents him from making intelligent plays, thus hampering the effectiveness of the team as a whole, whether that be making a simple pass to play in a teammate for an easy shot on goal:
Yeah good luck to them man lmaoooo https://t.co/aK3HnY1aps
— G (@Gideoomatic) June 6, 2026
Or allowing one of his more capable teammates to take a free kick in a dangerous area:
He’s going to give me a better hate watch than 2022 delivered https://t.co/pw5Hxog8z2
— Anna (@Anna_96_10) June 7, 2026
It’s not just the eye-test, either. Popular player rating website SofaScore had Ronaldo rated as the worst player on the field for Portugal (except for winger Rafael Leao, who was sent off with a red card, thus explaining his low score). Similarly, for the 7th consecutive game, Ronaldo recorded fewer touches than the opposition goalkeeper.
Furthermore, the player that came on after Ronaldo was substituted, Gonçalo Guedes, also broke the deadlock and scored after just 13 minutes on the pitch.
Heading into the 2026 World Cup, sportsbooks have Portugal as the fourth favorites in the tournament following Spain, France, and England. If they had a more competent striker in their starting line-up, those odds would likely be shorter.