Mutual destruction? How to resolve Portugal's "Cristiano Ronaldo dilemma"?

Authored by Hanbing. By Hanbing. Ronaldo participated in his sixth World Cup; at 41 years and 132 days old, he became the oldest non-goalkeeper starter in World Cup history. Regrettably, the record of scoring in six consecutive World Cups remains unbroken as he continues to wait. The Portuguese legend, aged 41, played the entire match, recording only 25 touches and three off-target shots. Portugal could not protect their early goal advantage, settling for a 1-1 draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo, ranked 46th globally. The "Ronaldo conundrum," ongoing since the Qatar World Cup, also left Portuguese manager Martinez without a solution.

The day before, Mbappé and Haaland scored braces, while Messi notched a hat-trick, putting Ronaldo, another superstar, under the spotlight. His former Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney, who has a complex relationship with Ronaldo, speculated before the match: "Ronaldo might be very angry, but that's a good thing. Over the years, he and Messi have pushed each other to reach their current heights. He will definitely want to score two or three goals to prove himself."

However, Portugal's World Cup debut did not go as planned. João Neves scored a header in the 6th minute, by which time Portugal had completed 84 passes while Congo had only 12. But over the next 80-plus minutes, the fifth-ranked Portuguese team paid the price for overly conservative tactics. Despite 75% possession, they managed only seven shots, with Neves' goal being the only one on target. After taking an early lead, they aimlessly passed the ball, missing the chance to build a bigger advantage. It was an inevitable punishment when Congo scored their first-ever World Cup goal just before halftime to equalize. By the end of the match, statistics such as shots (7-8), shots on target (1-2), and expected goals (0.64-0.82) showed Portugal actually lagged behind an opponent that qualified via the intercontinental playoffs.

With a starting lineup valued eight times that of their opponents, Portugal failed to win, so the failure cannot be attributed to just one or two individuals. But focusing on Ronaldo, besides his three off-target shots, his mere 25 touches throughout the game are particularly worrying for his fans—this was not only the fewest among all outfield players who played the full match but also the lowest number of touches he has ever recorded in a World Cup match lasting at least 80 minutes. Ronaldo created zero chances, had two forward carries and two forward passes (both the second-lowest among Portuguese starters), won two aerial duels, and attempted zero ground duels. In his last three World Cups and European Championships combined, Ronaldo has now gone ten consecutive games without scoring; his last goal came four years ago in the opening match of the Qatar World Cup against Ghana.

The UK's Daily Mail suggested that, with a "charitable interpretation," Ronaldo's repeated offside runs in the first half did draw Congo's defensive attention. Rooney also noted that Ronaldo, who spent most of the first half in offside positions, "forced opposing defenders to keep an eye on him, which created space for his teammates."

But it must be admitted that such contributions are often symbolic; the lack of pace and power has dulled Ronaldo's edge. This led to widespread criticism when Gonçalo Ramos replaced Vitinha in the 83rd minute instead of Ronaldo.

Thierry Henry, a Fox Sports pundit, used Ronaldo's first shot in the 68th minute as an example to highlight the veteran's poor decision-making: "Because he wanted to score himself, he blocked Bruno Fernandes' path. If he had charged toward the six-yard box to drag defenders away, it would have been an easy tap-in for Fernandes." In fact, the Manchester United captain, who was in a better position, could only bury his head in his hands in frustration after his senior teammate forced a shot.

Just like under Santos, Martinez's Portugal is also trapped in the "Ronaldo dilemma"—how to maximize Ronaldo's attacking threat in order to help the team win.

This dilemma concerns both Ronaldo and the entire team. In friendlies against Chile and Nigeria, Portugal won after Ronaldo was substituted off. Similarly, in a 2-0 friendly win over the USA in April and a 9-1 demolition of Armenia in the final Euro qualifier, the team triumphed without Ronaldo. However, his replacement Gonçalo Ramos, apart from scoring against Armenia, has not delivered convincing performances. Would benching Ronaldo solve the problem? The answer is clearly not that simple. Moreover, with Santos' precedent, it remains questionable whether Martinez has enough courage to do so.

In fact, whether the Portuguese captain starts or comes off the bench, the team's tactics need to maximize the strengths of both him and his teammates, rather than having them cancel each other out. The lack of explosive wing play in the first half inherently clashed with starting Ronaldo as a center-forward. Martinez's star-studded midfield actually requires a target man with pace, movement, and link-up ability—qualities that Ronaldo no longer possesses. Compared to the tireless running of former CSL striker Bakambu, Ronaldo's involvement in Portugal's attack was clearly insufficient.

Former French defender Gaël Clichy believes that Ronaldo's superstar status may have "unconsciously" affected his teammates' style of play: "If it weren't for Ronaldo, Conceição would have taken the shot himself." Clichy highlighted the double-edged nature of the "Ronaldo dilemma": "The coach selects Ronaldo because he's a superstar capable of scoring; but at the same time, with him on the field, the tactics become unnatural and disjointed, hurting offensive efficiency."

L'Équipe suggested that playing Ronaldo for the full 90 minutes was also due to a lack of suitable successors. Gonçalo Ramos is also a substitute at PSG, while João Félix has good chemistry with Ronaldo at Al-Nassr but is incompatible with Portugal's current tactics. After the early goal, Portugal became overly conservative, with the midfield and forwards failing to provide enough support from the wings and the front. In the second half, Conceição's introduction improved the wide play, but midfield support remained insufficient.

After the match, Portugal coach Martinez had to explain: "Our attacks couldn't reach the final third like they did before the goal, so we couldn't help Ronaldo or create chances. The opponent deployed a six-man defense; direct attacks weren't the quickest route. His ability to draw defenders and exploit space is very valuable. When you need a goal, you need a superstar like Ronaldo on the pitch."

Ronaldo also had a lengthy conversation with goalkeeper Diogo Costa after the match. Martinez defended Ronaldo's decision to head straight to the tunnel instead of joining his teammates to thank the fans: "He had many media commitments and wasn't sure whether to stay or return to the dressing room to wait."

Regardless, this match was disappointing for both Ronaldo and Portugal. Before their game against Uzbekistan in six days, both Martinez and Ronaldo must find a new solution.