Owen: Cristiano Will Be Motivated by Negativity, Which Is Positive for Portugal

Former England international Michael Owen has lauded the performance of Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo. The 41-year-old Portuguese star netted two goals in the group stage match of the World Cup for the "Seleção" against Uzbekistan (5-0), after failing to score in their opening tournament fixture against DR Congo (1-1).

"I wrote that it was ridiculous to write off Ronaldo after he failed to score in the first game. I also said he would respond and score a hat-trick against Uzbekistan. Well, I was wrong. He only scored two, but we saw exactly what he's capable of. Cristiano will be motivated by the negativity at the very start of the tournament, and that's quite positive for Portugal," Michael Owen stated on Thursday, as quoted by the Daily Mail.

In their third Group K match of the 2026 World Cup, the Portuguese will face Colombia on June 28.