At 41 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo is a shadow of the once brilliant player he was. Everyone can see it, except the great man himself. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is now focused on chasing the stupendous milestone of 1,000 career goals, which would be yet another achievement for a footballer obsessed with breaking personal records in a team sport. The 2026 World Cup marks yet another milestone achievement – the sixth time he has played in the tournament. It is a lot of football, and at the highest level, yet Father Time waits for no one, not even someone as rich and famous as Ronaldo.
Portugal’s manager Roberto Martinez must take a fair share of the blame. Why does he persist in picking Ronaldo?
This once supreme athlete is now a drag on the Portugal team. Horrible to think it but true enough. Yes, the statistics will record that Ronaldo scored in Portugal’s latest match: a 2-1 win against Croatia. But Ronaldo’s goal came from the penalty spot. Other than that, he huffed and puffed his way through the match, contributing very little of note. When he was substituted after 81 minutes, it was obvious enough that the great man felt this was a mistake. Ultimately, it is all about him.
