DALLAS (United States) — Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane all made blistering starts to the World Cup. And then there was Cristiano Ronaldo.
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez has a major decision to make over the 41-year-old following the 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday.
Ronaldo, who once vied with Messi for the unofficial title of best player on the planet, huffed and puffed his way through a match in which he was a peripheral figure up front.
His 25 touches were his fewest in a game at a major tournament for Portugal when playing the full match.
The contrast with Messi was stark, the 38-year-old having hit a hat-trick a day earlier to give defending champions Argentina a 3-0 win over Algeria.
With Portugal searching for a winner in Houston, Martinez elected to keep the veteran captain on the field throughout even though he never seriously looked like scoring.
A draw against the African side, appearing in their first World Cup since 1974 when the country was known as Zaire, was a stuttering start for a team rated as outside title contenders in North America.
“When you are looking for goals you need Cristiano on the pitch, it makes no sense to get the best goal-scorer in the world out in a game where you need goals,” Martinez said according to AFP.
He added: “In moments like this, the experience of Cristiano in the box is important.”
In his prime, former Real Madrid, Manchester United and Juventus superstar Ronaldo was one of the best players in football history.
Behind his success was a relentless drive for self-improvement and a refusal to settle for second best.
By turning out against the DRC he has now played in a record-equalling sixth World Cup, testament to how he has looked after his body.
He scored 30 goals in 37 games for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia this season, and has an incredible 143 goals in 229 appearances for his country.
As his career has progressed and his pace ebbed away, Ronaldo has moved from the wings to central striker.
He had his chances against the DRC, who came into the World Cup ranked 46 to Portugal’s five, twice stabbing the ball wide after being set up by Francisco Conceicao.
With Ronaldo and Portugal increasingly desperate, he took away a cut-back destined for Bruno Fernandes, who was in a better position to score.
Former France striker Thierry Henry accused Ronaldo of being selfish.
Henry said on Fox: “The team needs to score, not you need to score.”
There were clear signs well before now of a drop-off at elite international level for Ronaldo, who has gone 10 games at major tournaments without scoring.
In the Qatar 2022 World Cup knockout rounds, then-coach Fernando Santos sensationally dropped a misfiring Ronaldo for their last two matches.
That makes Martinez’s dogged faith in a player that is now four years older even more baffling to outsiders.
For the Houston stalemate, opposition midfielder Ngal’ayel Mukau was asked if they had a plan to contain Ronaldo.
“Not really. We know he’s no longer the same player as before and that he’s older now,” he replied.
“At his age he can no longer put in the same effort as before, but I have tremendous respect for him.”
Mukau’s assessment was kinder than some of the flak going Ronaldo’s way, and Martinez has not been spared either.
Some pundits accused the Spaniard of being afraid to drop the skipper or even substitute him.
“That’s embarrassing from Martinez,” former Premier League striker Chris Sutton said on the BBC after Martinez kept Ronaldo on and took off midfielder Vitinha in the 83rd minute.
“He’s scared to take him off. He’s not the manager… the game has passed him (Ronaldo) by today.”
Critics say it is not as if Martinez does not have alternatives.
Goncalo Ramos, the Paris Saint-German striker who replaced Vitinha, is a ready-made replacement and out-and-out No 9.
Portugal faces World Cup debutants Uzbekistan next, but despite the evidence stacking up against Ronaldo it would be a shock if he does not start once again.
