Cristiano Ronaldo has been told he is “not useful” to Portugal after the team’s disappointing 1-1 draw against DR Congo in their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Portugal entered the tournament among the favourites and appeared to be on course for victory after taking the lead through Joao Neves. However, DR Congo fought back to earn a point, with Yoane Wissa’s side producing one of the biggest results of the opening round.
After the match, ESPN FC analyst Alejandro Moreno delivered a blunt assessment of Ronaldo’s performance, questioning both the veteran forward’s contribution and Roberto Martinez’s continued reliance on him.
Alejandro Moreno delivers brutal verdict on Cristiano Ronaldo after Portugal draw
Moreno was reacting to comments from DR Congo midfielder Ngal’ayel Mukau, who suggested his side did not need a special plan to stop Ronaldo despite acknowledging the Portugal captain remains one of the greatest players of all time.
While Mukau’s remarks generated discussion, Moreno went much further when analysing Ronaldo’s display.
“If he’s not scoring goals, if he’s not creating opportunities for himself or for anybody else, then the team is playing so that they can find an opportunity for him. And it just doesn’t work,” Moreno said on ESPN FC.
The former Venezuelan international argued that Portugal’s attacking rhythm suffers when too much of the game plan revolves around Ronaldo. Moreno also pointed to Ronaldo’s overall involvement during the match.
“He seems to be in the way of this team actually getting forward with some sort of rhythm.”
“Honestly, he doesn’t participate in the build-up. He’s obviously not running in behind. He’s not chasing around defenders and trying to harass them whenever they’re trying to come out with the possession.”
Moreno thinks Roberto Martinez faces a major decision
The strongest criticism came when Moreno discussed Portugal’s outlook for the rest of the tournament.
Despite stressing his respect for Ronaldo’s achievements throughout his career, he questioned whether the 41-year-old should continue to play such a central role.
“This team has a lot of talent around Cristiano Ronaldo. And much like DR Congo and their players, much respect to Cristiano Ronaldo and what he has done over the course of his career. But right now, he is not useful to this team based on what we saw today.”
Moreno then suggested Portugal are making decisions based on Ronaldo rather than what matches require.
“Instead of making the correct decisions, what the game calls for, they’re making the decisions that feature Ronaldo or please Ronaldo.”
Portugal still have plenty of time to recover from their opening setback, with matches against Uzbekistan and Colombia to come in Group K. However, following the draw with DR Congo, questions surrounding Ronaldo’s role in the side are unlikely to disappear any time soon.
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