Imagine the anti-climax in Cristiano country, a nation of 1.1 billion social media followers trying to reconcile the myth of CR7 with the 41-year-old dead weight dragging Portugal down.
After the iridescence of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland the night before, Ronaldo’s hard labour against the Democratic Republic of Congo in the World Cup was an achingly sad watch. An influencer in the digital space but no longer on the pitch.
Though Portugal led after five minutes, advantage did not lead to dominance, primarily because the whole of Portugal is in thrall to the hero Ronaldo was and blind to the speed limiter he has become.
“Sometimes the hardest thing for great players is accepting that time is undefeated,” observed former footballer turned philosopher, Wayne Rooney. Portugal, Rooney said, needed energy, movement and ruthlessness. Instead they got inertia, blunt edges and petulance.
Bruno Fernandes reacts after Ronaldo shoots instead of leaving it for him (Photo: Getty)There is no escape for CR7. The cameras seek him out, layering his slow, solo exit towards the tunnel in symbolism at the close, a man lost in his own world, unseeing, unfeeling, believing himself to be at the centre of things when, in truth, the periphery is now his home.
The readout was devastating at the end of a first half in which Portugal had 80 per cent possession. Never mind goals and shots on target, Ronaldo failed to register a single shot. There were no chances created, no successful dribbles, no duels won.
The contrast with the Messi hat-trick against Algeria, Mbappe’s eruption against Senegal and Haaland’s evisceration of Iraq could hardly have been more marked. It was also depressingly predictable.
Ronaldo has not scored at a major championship since his penalty in Portugal’s opening game at the 2022 World Cup against Ghana. He looked cooked at the goalless Euros in Germany two years ago, yet It seems none in the Portugal set-up has either the appetite or power to address the mammoth in the room.
0 – Cristiano Ronaldo has now gone 10 consecutive major tournament games without scoring for Portugal (FIFA World Cup/EURO):33 shots11 on target0 goalsDrought. pic.twitter.com/PYQIHPgCkM
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 17, 2026“It makes no sense to get the best goal scorer in world football out in a game that you need goals,” said Portugal manager Roberto Martinez, placing himself at the scene of the crime when reflecting on his decision to stick with Ronaldo when making changes in the second half.
Croatia have a similar attachment to 40-year-old Luka Modric, but he is still subject to the judgment of others. Modric was hooked on the hour with Croatia on the point of collapse against a reshod, second-half England.
The great players connect the whole, evincing from others a percentage upgrade in output. Roy Keane was never the best technician at Manchester United but his impact on the group was arguably greater than any, lifting all around him to a higher plane.
Clearly Ronaldo was that man for a decade at Real Madrid and Portugal. A total of 143 goals in 229 matches for Portugal, 451 in 438 games for Madrid are the alpha numbers that underpin the legend. It is unsettling, almost sorrowful watching the indulgence of that legend play out.
Read more
Michael Hincks: What the hell were ITV thinking by making Emma Hayes stand in the kitchen? Daniel Storey: England have something no other team can rival at this World CupThe great, creative hub of Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Joao Neves and Vitinha are caught in a kind of Ronaldo web, effectively stuck in a doom ronda with no outlet and wishing they had the DRC’s scorer Yoane Wissa to aim at.
That ought to tell Ronaldo all he needs to know about the scale of his decline. Emperor syndrome blinds him to that reality, making it impossible to source Portugal’s obvious difficulties to him.
His “woe is me” disappointment at the close was obvious, too obvious perhaps. Staring at the group with hands on hips, he turned performatively towards the exit. The adulation of the crowd as he made his way felt less like acclamation, more like suffering over the inevitable decline of a national hero.
Hence then, the article about cristiano ronaldo is actually making me feel quite sad was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Cristiano Ronaldo is actually making me feel quite sad )
Also on site :