Portugal 'at risk of World Cup civil war' due to Cristiano Ronaldo

News

Cameron Smith | Digital Content Producer

Accredited sports journalist covering football since 2020

Portugal are reportedly at risk of a World Cup civil war amid concerns over Cristiano Ronaldo’s influence.

The 41-year-old was expected to bow out of international football after the 2022 World Cup, a tournament in which he only scored one goal, but he has made it to 2026 and he remains Portugal’s starting centre forward despite his recent decline.

Current ETV

Cristiano Ronaldo

F (C)

Al-Nassr

Cristiano Ronaldo

F (C)

Al-Nassr

€10.4M

ETV Range

€9.4M - €11.5M

View full profile

The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus attacker scored 30 goals in 37 games across all competitions for Al-Nassr last season, however the quality of the Saudi Pro League is far inferior to most European divisions and his performance against DR Congo in Portugal’s opening World Cup fixture has been widely criticised.

After the match, Arsenal legend Thierry Henry was one of many to take aim at Ronaldo, admitting to FOX Sports: “One thing that's important, people, please, at home: The team needs to score, not you [Ronaldo] need to score.”

Meanwhile, Portugal midfielder Joao Neves said: “We know what Ronaldo has done for our national team, but at this moment I feel that for him, and for everyone, he's one of us. He's one more player trying to help, he's no different to the others. He's here to contribute like we all will.”

The PSG star’s comments felt entirely fair, but his social media accounts were soon flooded with abuse from Ronaldo fans, with accusations that he wasn’t respecting the Portugal captain for his achievements in the game.

Fellow Portugal star Francisco Conceicao has also been targeted by fans after admitting: “Cristiano has the quality to score goals, there's no one like him in that respect, and we don't have that obligation, that need to pass him the ball,” Conceicao said.

“For example, speaking for myself, I pass the ball to whoever is best positioned. It's not like I have time to think about the face of the team-mate next to me, we do it by instinct, it's milliseconds, there's no time for that, and Cristiano is here to help like any other team-mate on the national team.”

Ronaldo fans once again took umbrage with these comments and flooded his social media with what was a described as a “wave of hatred” by French outlet FootMercato.

Portugal in World Cup civil war?

While Ronaldo is Portugal’s greatest ever player, it’s clear that his powers have waned, and the current tension surrounding his position in the starting XI could take a turn for the worse, according to Record journalist Anibal Pinto.

“It highlights the risk of a civil war that could emerge within the national team,” he said (via BBC Sport).

However, such speculation has been rubbished by Portugal boss Roberto Martinez, who is expected to name Ronaldo in his starting XI to face Uzbekistan on Tuesday.

“We're more united, we're stronger,” he said ahead of the game. “We're playing a World Cup, of course there's a lot of noise, a lot of tension, it's part of the game. Our focus is on the team. We're more united than before we arrived. There's no tension.”

Ronaldo hasn’t scored in his last four Portugal caps, but there is little indication to suggest that Martinez will turn to Goncalo Ramos to lead the line instead.

“He's an example, as a captain," Martinez added. “And he's reacted as a captain, with a lot of experience. He wants to contribute, and he's a role model for our team."

“He's probably the biggest example of how to recover, how to train. But that doesn't take away the feeling of frustration we all have, as a team.”