The sixth and final World Cup of Cristiano Ronaldo was certain to make headlines, though perhaps not this early in the tournament.
It all began with an underwhelming display by the 41-year-old during Portugal’s 1-1 tie against DR Congo in their World Cup debut.
A standard post-match interview with Joao Neves was exaggerated, causing turmoil within the Portugal camp.
Neves is familiar with dealing with the media in challenging situations.
In March 2024, Benfica had just suffered a humiliating 5-0 defeat to their rivals, Porto. Although he had just lost his mother a few days prior, it was up to the then 19-year-old, in his first senior season as a consistent starter, to articulate the outcome at the final whistle.
In comparison to that evening at the Dragao stadium, last week’s 1-1 tie against DR Congo in Portugal’s World Cup debut seemed understandably trivial, despite the frustration it caused.
Neves’ comments in the post-match interview plunged the nation into turmoil ahead of the Uzbekistan match on Tuesday (18:00 BST).
The Paris St-Germain midfielder was questioned regarding Ronaldo’s position in the Portugal team.
“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,” Neves said.
The consequence that ensued was a reaction that many could not foresee.
Supporters of Ronaldo inundated the social media profiles of Neves, Bruno Fernandes, and others, accusing them of disrespecting the Portugal captain.
Even by Ronaldo’s criteria as an international icon, the response seemed extraordinary.
“It emphasises the danger of a civil war that might arise within the national team,” stated Vitor Pinto from the Record newspaper.
It might have been completely irrelevant if members of Ronaldo’s close circle hadn’t participated in it as well.
His partner, Georgina Rodriguez, responded to a fabricated quote linked to Neves’ girlfriend, Madalena Aragao, but later removed her remark, while his sisters Katia and Elma Aveiro posted messages implying there was an effort to exclude him from the team.
On CMTV – the most viewed TV channel in Portugal, where Ronaldo holds shares – analyst and attorney Luis Miguel Henrique, who has represented the forward in commercial issues, referenced a fabricated quote ascribed to Zinedine Zidane in his defence.
The chaos inevitably seeped into the national team’s camp in Palm Beach.
“Are Portugal polarised between those who are with Cristiano and those who are not?” was a question raised repeatedly in the side’s news conferences.
“This shouldn’t even be a topic of discussion,” replied Ruben Dias in a tense interview.
Diogo Dalot said the following day: “We know there are a lot of people who don’t want Portugal to win.” After refusing to name them, he added: “If I had to do that, we’d never leave here. It’s not my role.”
Portugal understands that a convincing victory over Uzbekistan is essential to provide them with some relief – ideally with Ronaldo finding the net, of course.
Ronaldo has now played 10 straight matches in major tournaments without scoring since a penalty against Ghana in the 2022 World Cup.
He took three shots against the DR Congo – the highest number of any player – but did not get any on target.
“Whenever people talk about Cristiano Ronaldo, it almost feels like Portugal are playing in Cristiano Ronaldo’s country,” said Luis Aguilar, a pundit for SIC Noticias.
“It’s like there is one man who is far bigger than the collective good, and it is more important for things to work for Cristiano Ronaldo than for the team when that doesn’t have to be the case.
“Because the reality today is that, unlike the comparison that is often made with Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo is not the best player in the Portugal team. Messi is still the best player in the Argentina team.”
Despite his problems in Portugal’s opener, the number seven stayed on the pitch for the entire 90 minutes.
Under coach Roberto Martinez, he has been substituted 13 times in 30 matches, but only once before the 60th minute, in a 5-0 victory over Armenia in September 2025.
Despite Martinez’s refusal to describe Ronaldo as untouchable, the numbers show otherwise.
“He’s not the solution, and that alone makes him part of the problem,” said A Bola executive director Luis Mateus.
“His goals used to make up for his lack of defensive contribution. Now he is no longer scoring, and he is affecting the entire attack mentally because his teammates still want to serve him even when there are better options but also because he has become something of a square peg in the whole attacking process.
“He is on the pitch because of gratitude, not because of how he is playing.”
According to a recent poll conducted by the Zerozero website, 63% of Portugal fans do not want him to start against Uzbekistan.
This is not the first time Ronaldo has attended a World Cup, despite criticism for his lack of goals for the national team.
The situation was arguably worse in 2010, when the Al-Nassr attacker arrived in South Africa after going two years without scoring in a competitive Portugal match.
His answer at the time was more lighthearted, however. “Goals are like ketchup. When they come, they come all at once,” he said.
He ended his drought in Portugal’s 7-0 victory over North Korea in their second group encounter. It ultimately proved to be his only goal of the tournament, as Carlos Queiroz’s team was eliminated by Spain in the round of 16.
“It is now time to rethink a few things, to spend less time at the beach [there’s been some controversy regarding that in the country] and more time in the meeting room,” said former Tottenham and Chelsea manager André Villas-Boas, currently Porto president.
“Our ambitions remain enormous, because this is a golden generation and we want the man who has given so much to our country to leave the game holding the World Cup trophy, the same way Messi did in Qatar.
“But the coach will manage his playing time as he sees fit. I still believe we have enough talent to leave a much better impression.”
