‘Portugal were playing 10+1’
It’s decision time for Roberto Martinez and Portugal on their most famous player
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Before Euro 2024, I went for a coffee with Roberto Martinez and mentioned that, amongst other things, he’d have to make a decision soon on Cristiano Ronaldo. He was striding towards 40 and the sands of time were running out. It was hardly a particularly prescient comment, many people were saying the same, and all that mattered was Martinez’s view as head coach of Portugal. That view then, and seemingly now, was that Ronaldo is untouchable.
Martinez speaks about Ronaldo’s ferocious professional standards, and how much he inspires and lifts the younger players, but they are all younger and they look being weighed down by him. The problem with writing off Ronaldo is that he has a long history of rewriting scripts to add another chapter. Can Martinez take that risk?
Everyone focuses on one number with Ronaldo – 41. His age. Yet more pertinent figures need addressing such as the fact that he scored 13 in 12 games then none in his most recent five. Other numbers that cast doubt on whether his time is up readily present themselves. Ronaldo has now gone 10 World Cup and Euro finals matches without scoring. He’s had 33 shots, 11 on target but not added to his astonishing record 143 goals in 229 internationals.
Added together, these numbers suggest a drift in effectiveness. His performance against DR Congo confirmed that Portugal were playing 10+1. Thierry Henry, the most insightful pundit on Fox Sport, highlighted his selfishness. “One thing that’s important: the team needs to score, not you need to score,” Henry said of Ronaldo, and pointed out he ruined a Francisco Conceição cutback towards Bruno Fernandes.
Is the painful reality that Portugal’s greatest-ever player (and that includes Eusebio) is now an impediment? Ronaldo must see he is not at the level he once was, the level now required. This is his sixth World Cup after all. Is he simply driven by the fact that Lionel Messi is still playing and playing well? Ronaldo is such a competitive creature that he clearly cannot walk away from that rivalry. Messi is still going strong, and so must he try to.
Martinez does not appear decisive enough to make the call on Ronaldo. Yet the strongest argument for omitting Ronaldo against Uzbekistan next Tuesday is that Portugal have better options. Goncalo Ramos of PS-G, for instance. Use him and build around that magnificent midfield of Vitinha, Joao Neves, Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes. At some point, Portugal has to cut the chord with Ronaldo, however painful it will be.
Click here to read World Soccer’s guide to the 2026 World Cup
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Somehow I wasn’t familiar with the World Series of Barbecue. And I like all sports. In one of the many merchandising outlets for the Chiefs here in Kansas City there are T-shirts celebrating the city as world champions of barbecue. I took slight issue with this. Had there been qualifiers? I asked staff. Had the Argentinians and South Africans been informed and entered? They’re good at the grilling game. Asados and braais.
Well, yes, they can enter. Teams from 20 countries have entered the World Series of Barbecue that takes place in September and October. Up to 400 teams compete in the four freestyle sections – chicken, pork ribs, pork (shoulder or Boston Butt) and beef brisket. Under the rules, “in order to be eligible for Grand Champion, open teams must turn up for all four categories. Additionally, teams can compete in each category alone, a sausage category, sides and/or desserts”.
There is also a kids’ category open to 80 contestants split into two age groups: 6-10 (hamburger meat) and 11-15 (steak). The champion of the 11-15 age-group gets a $1,000 scholarship and gets to sit on a throne. Money raised goes to charity.
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Fan parks have been universally popular since their introduction at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The one here in KC was so overwhelmed when it opened that some people gave up on the long lines, even those with a version of “speedy boarding” that I met later in a sports bar. Their paid-for passes for the “Premium Garden” offered “elevated food options for purchase” but they ducked out. The “Legacy Lounge” cost more.
They returned to experience the atmosphere of the Fan Festival later. Some go for the music. Sheryl Crow plays next week. Or simply to watch games on the big screens. 67,000 have passed through the park in a week, the majority locals, but people from 178 countries.
But it is Mexico where the Fan Festivals are truly rocking. So far, 527,100 have attended the fan zone in Mexico City; 244,710 in Monterrey and 218,424 in Guadalajara. Total passion. And England could be headed to the Azteca.
Catch up on the rest of Henry Winter’s World Cup Diary here
