"Marca" Takes a Swipe at Ronaldo Before Iberian Derby, Citing Statistic Where Cape Verde Goalkeeper Outperforms Him

The Spanish press has already begun its pre-match jabs at Portugal ahead of their Iberian clash in the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Immediately following Cape Verde's elimination from the tournament, a prominent newspaper published an intriguing statistic about their goalkeeper, Vozinha, who reportedly outperformed Portuguese superstar and prolific goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo in one specific area.

"World Cups often provide us with curious data and statistics. Some of them are truly astonishing. Such is the case with Cape Verde's goalkeeper, Vozinha, who has completed more successful dribbles since the start of the tournament... than Cristiano Ronaldo!

The charismatic African team's custodian recorded one successful dribble in the knockout match, which his team lost to Argentina in the Round of 16. Midway through the first half, Vozinha faked out Lautaro Martinez during an attempted press by the 'Albiceleste' forward. One dribble in four matches. However, this proved enough to surpass Cristiano Ronaldo, who has yet to complete a single successful dribble since the tournament began," the newspaper wrote.

The publication further highlighted that while the Portuguese captain has scored three goals, he has not once managed to beat an opponent through individual skill. He has played three full matches, and in the game against Croatia, he also remained on the field almost until the end of regular time, yet without a successful dribble.

The match between Spain and Portugal is scheduled for July 6th (Monday) at 10:00 PM Bulgarian time. This, along with all 104 matches of the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, can be watched live on bnt.sportal.bg.