2026 World Cup: is Portugal better without Cristiano Ronaldo?

On August 20, 2003, in front of 8,000 spectators on a painted lawn, Cristiano Ronaldo made his debut with the Portugal A team during a friendly against Kazakhstan in Chaves. Twenty-three years later, the child from Madeira arrives at the 2026 World Cup with an extraordinary status: he will, at 41, be one of three players – with Lionel Messi and Guillermo Ochoa – to play in a sixth final tournament.

Top scorer in the history of international football with 143 goals, Ronaldo reinvented Portuguese football and changed the perception of the country on the world stage, recalls João Aroso, who worked with him at Sporting then in the selection. But if his presence remains a symbol, his role within an ambitious team for the title today raises more questions than in the past.

Since the 2022 World Cup, it has become more acceptable in Portugal to openly discuss Ronaldo's place. Some observers believe that he no longer brings what is needed to be a starter in a team aiming for final victory. “He doesn’t play to win, he plays to be the main figure,” said António Simões, member of the third Portuguese selection in 1966.

Roberto Martínez brushes aside these criticisms by calling them “lift talk”. The Spanish coach highlights the recent figures of his No. 7: 25 goals in his last 31 outings with the Seleção, an argument to justify his call-up and his role. “We are talking about the greatest player of all time. He is there because he is still performing at a very high level, not for what he did before,” says Martínez.

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Ronaldo has scored in each of his previous five World Cups and has eight goals in the finals, one shy of Eusébio's Portuguese record. The Al-Nassr striker confirmed that this will be his last World Cup. Even physically diminished by age, his experience and his mental contribution remain valued by former internationals. “Cristiano understands the big moments better than almost everyone,” judges Abel Xavier. Ricardo, present during Ronaldo's debut and today a member of the staff, insists on the technical and mental part: “With him, danger is never far away. »

However, some of the biggest victories of the cycle took place in his absence: the 9-0 inflicted on Luxembourg in September 2023 and the 9-1 against Armenia in November 2023, two matches without Ronaldo which revived the question of a “better” team without its captain. “He no longer has the football to be a starter in a team that wants to win the World Cup,” summarized columnist Sofia Oliveira.

Managing an icon has never been easy. Fernando Santos experienced this at the 2022 World Cup when he left him out of the starting lineup, triggering a strong reaction on the networks and leading to his departure shortly after. Ronaldo's symbolic power is such that political and institutional concerns follow his footsteps: the Portuguese Federation (FPF) notably raised questions by signing a partnership with AVA CR7, a company belonging to the player. The FPF assured that there was no interference from Ronaldo in this agreement and that he did not participate in the negotiations.

As the tournament approaches, the FPF says it is preparing for a transition without drama. Presenting its 2026-27 budget, the federation anticipates record revenues of €161 million and posts thirteen consecutive financial years in profit - all elements which, according to its president Pedro Proença, allow us to envisage the future "naturally and normally" after the departure of the icon.

More than two decades after Chaves, Cristiano Ronaldo remains at the center of Portuguese football. It remains to be seen if, for its final World Cup, its shadow will continue to eclipse sporting logic or if its contribution, on and off the field, will help Portugal aim for the world title for the first time.