Martínez rejects Ronaldo blame after Portugal’s shaky start

Martínez rejects – After Portugal’s 1-1 World Cup draw with Congo on a night that sparked fresh scrutiny around Cristiano Ronaldo, coach Roberto Martínez stood firmly behind the 41-year-old captain—saying the problem was Portugal’s execution, not the man leading the line.

When Cristiano Ronaldo walked back into the conversation after Portugal’s 1-1 World Cup debut against Congo, it wasn’t just a football debate anymore. It was a public verdict—fans and pundits questioning whether the 41-year-old captain was somehow holding the team back.

Portugal players had spent six days in Houston after that first match. returning before their second group-stage game against Uzbekistan on Tuesday. June 23. The mood wasn’t denial. It was hurt. Defender João Cancelo said on Monday. June 22 that Portugal “failed” and that the disappointment came from the fact they were “favorites” who “wanted to start out doing well in this World Cup.”.

Most of that criticism landed on Ronaldo. even as Martínez tried to make it clear that the captain’s influence—at least in the Congo game—wasn’t the real story. “He’s a captain so he reacts as a captain, meaning with a lot of experience,” Martínez said. “It is the sixth time he plays a World Cup and he is a player who’s been defending and playing for his country for a long time. so he really wants to keep on improving. to keep contributing. And he’s really a role model for our team.”.

In the match itself, the numbers offered a reason for the frustration. Ronaldo played all 90 minutes, took three shots with none on target, won one duel, and had 25 touches. ESPN FC noted it was the second-fewest touches Ronaldo has ever had in a World Cup start.

Martínez pointed to something different when asked why that impact didn’t show up. He blamed Portugal’s offensive execution, saying: “We didn’t really make it to the final third on the level required to really help that leading attacker and to utilize those movements on the pitch.”

He also said he never considered removing Ronaldo in the second half. “I think obviously in a game like today that we were finding it difficult to get into the box – Congo had a back five that at times was even a back six; they accumulated a lot of players – you can use the qualities of Cristiano Ronaldo. ” Martínez said. “It makes no sense to get the best goalscorer in world football out in a game where you need goals.”.

Those comments come against a broader tournament history that has made the scrutiny sharper. Although Ronaldo scored eight times during Portugal’s 2025 Nations League title run. he has failed to score in his last 10 World Cup or European Championship games. His last goal for Portugal in a major tournament was in Portugal’s first game of the 2022 World Cup. when he converted a penalty kick in a 3-2 win over Ghana.

Martínez insisted that Portugal’s style still relies on creating pressure in the final third—and that Ronaldo helps make it happen. “Cristiano is the best one to do that,” Martínez said. “The numbers support this of this iconic player that is Cristiano Ronaldo. If you look at the last 32 games, he is the player that has extra movement, opening spaces and finding pockets.”.

But the spotlight has not been kind, especially when set beside the superstars who thrive under pressure. The report contrasted Ronaldo’s World Cup start with Lionel Messi. who scored all five of Argentina’s goals in its first two World Cup matches. It also placed Kylian Mbappé in the same frame as a player who flourishes under the spotlight. while portraying Ronaldo as shrinking under it.

At the same time. Cancelo pushed back on the premise that Ronaldo—and Neymar. who missed Brazil’s first two World Cup matches due to injury—needs any additional proving. Asked by a Brazilian journalist about criticism faced by Ronaldo and Neymar. Cancelo said: “I think that both Neymar and Cristiano do not need to prove anything to anyone. They’re so talented, both players, and what they do in football speaks for itself. And I think that both Neymar and Cristiano know what they are and what they represent to their countries. and I think there’s not much more to say regarding that.”.

Even so. the Congo match left a specific kind of question hanging in the air: not whether Ronaldo is capable. but whether he can still make the difference when the game tightens. The report described Ronaldo as rarely directly creating chances for others and squandering multiple opportunities to score an equalizer against Congo. One moment stood out—Ronaldo pounced on a pass and shot wide of the goal instead of leaving it for Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes. who was unmarked.

Whether that miscue reflected intention or instinct wasn’t settled. Ronaldo and most Portugal players, including Fernandes, did not speak to reporters in the mixed zone after the game.

There’s also a stubborn counterargument embedded in the sport’s recent history: one match does not decide a tournament. The report pointed out that Argentina lost its World Cup opener in 2022 and went on to win it, and that Spain also rebounded to win the 2010 World Cup after losing its first game.

For Portugal, the response to the “storm clouds from the opener” was the point. Cancelo said he saw “all of the players were motivated and wanted to provide a response.” “We will try and stay positive and this is what matters, because these criticisms are not beneficial to us,” he said.

Martínez sounded the same note. He said criticism is part of the game and denied it had harmed the team. “We are very much focused. we are strong and I can say that my group is very much more united than before. ” Martínez said. “It is a process. We have been working for 21 days and tension is not part of our team.”.

Back to the captain, Martínez returned to the theme of steadiness—how Ronaldo’s preparation influences everyone around him. “The way he recovers. the way he prepares. the way he trains. he’s a good example for us. for all of us. ” Martínez said. “That doesn’t take away the feeling of frustration that we all have as a team. the feeling of disappointment after the game. and probably that’s the best starting point to prepare the next game. And I do feel that tomorrow we’re gonna have a team that’s going to be ready from the beginning and will be able to learn and use the lessons of the first game.”.

Time will tell whether Ronaldo can turn that tone into impact on the pitch against Uzbekistan—when the team needs more than role-model answers and the captain’s experience is asked to show itself in moments that change scoreboards.

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