Portugal Losing Patience with Ronaldo: It's Time to Acknowledge Messi as the Greatest Player of All Time

Let's start with the only good news for Cristiano Ronaldo's fans. By simply stepping onto the pitch at 41 years old, he set a new World Cup record – no older player had ever started a 'Mundial' match. However, that's where any positives end.

The match actually began ideally for the favorites. João Neves scored an early header, and it seemed the Portuguese machine was revving up. The opposite proved true. Players abandoned direct play, drowning in sterile ball possession.

Vitinha was an extreme example, breaking a tournament record with 121 successful passes out of 128 attempts, yet lacking any element of surprise. Wingers Bernardo Silva and Pedro Neto completely ignored runs behind the defense, and the African opponent, under coach Sébastien Desabre, disciplinedly and deservedly held on for a valuable point.

While the attack floundered in toothless combinations, Cristiano Ronaldo was isolated and static up front. In the entire 90 minutes, he registered a paltry 25 touches of the ball, a negative career high for him in major tournaments.

For comparison, even 26-year-old Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa had the ball at his feet more often – precisely 37 times. With this performance, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner extended his goal-scoring drought in major events (World Cups and European Championships) to a staggering ten consecutive matches.

This alarming situation did not leave renowned French analyst Daniel Riolo cold. On the RMC show L'After Foot, he didn't mince words. He recalled his statements from EURO 2024, where he argued that it was time to "close the book" on this legend because he "prevents Portugal from progressing" and "brings nothing to this team anymore." Today, he seamlessly continued this rhetoric: "The coach isn't good, and CR7 is a disaster."

Daniel Riolo highlighted the brutal contrast between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who had destroyed Algeria with a hat-trick just hours earlier. "I thought it would get him to that point... that he'd be able to shoot from 50 meters just to score a goal," Daniel Riolo ironized the situation.

He sees the difference between the two greats primarily in their approach to their own age: "Messi knows he's not 20 anymore. He knows he's almost 40 and at the end of his career, and he prepares accordingly. The team works around him and how to best utilize him."

And Cristiano Ronaldo? "He thinks he's still 25, that he hasn't aged, and still has the same performance level. The team isn't built with his current weaknesses in mind," the expert added mercilessly.

If Cristiano Ronaldo was counting on support from his homeland, the morning newspapers must have disappointed him. The mood in Portugal is at rock bottom. The renowned newspaper Publico aptly summarized the offensive sterility: "Portugal remains dependent on Conceição's individual actions and faith in Cristiano Ronaldo. But faith alone is not enough – certainly not with the current Cristiano Ronaldo."

The sports daily A Bola went even further. It brought up a statement from 49-year-old Brazilian Ronaldo Nazário and published what is considered absolute sacrilege in the country: "It's time for the world to finally acknowledge that Lionel Messi is the greatest player of all time."

Criticism is also pouring in from abroad. Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport proclaims: "Portugal disappointed, CR7 even more so." The British tabloid The Sun, meanwhile, reacted with a traditional pun: "All Gon Ron," meaning everything went completely wrong.

A crucial question now faces the Portuguese national team. In their second group match, they will face unpredictable Uzbekistan. Will the coach have the courage to bench the national team's all-time leading scorer? This scenario is no longer just a pipe dream. Four years ago in Qatar, Cristiano Ronaldo had to wait for his first minutes in both knockout matches as a substitute. It seems history may soon repeat itself.