Cristiano Ronaldo’s sixth World Cup began in disappointing fashion as Portugal failed to beat DR Congo
10:10, 18 Jun 2026Updated 10:40, 18 Jun 2026
Cristiano Ronaldo had a game to forget against DR Congo(Image: Molly Darlington, Getty Images)
Thierry Henry has slammed Cristiano Ronaldo for prioritising himself above the Portugal team. The Manchester United icon has faced backlash following his dismal showing in the surprise draw with DR Congo in their World Cup curtain-raiser.
Ronaldo, participating in a record-equalling sixth World Cup, squandered two opportunities to secure victory and struggled to make an impact. Despite his lacklustre display, the 41-year-old remained on the pitch for the full game, triggering scathing criticism of boss Roberto Martinez from ex-Premier League striker Chris Sutton, who posted on X: “Embarrassingly weak from Roberto Martinez.
“He should have hooked Ronaldo off but he’s too scared of upsetting him. Ronaldo is essentially the manager of Portugal. Well played DR Congo … deserved the point.”
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Meanwhile, Henry accused Ronaldo of prioritising his ambition to score over the team’s needs. Speaking on Fox Sports, the France icon pinpointed one specific instance in which he appeared to obstruct teammate Bruno Fernandes.
He said: “The team needs to score, not you need to score. Because he wants to score, he goes into the path of Bruno Fernandes.
“If he goes into the six-yard box, you’ve been in that situation, Alexi [Lalas, fellow pundit], you would have had to follow him. Then it would have been a tap-in for Bruno Fernandes.”
Thierry Henry believes Ronaldo is playing for himself, not the team(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
On a separate incident, he added: “Because he wants to score, he goes in the path of the backpass. You see both players and it’s easier for you to defend. And that’s my thing, the team needs to score, not you.”
Meanwhile, Joe Cole has urged Martinez to limit Ronaldo’s playing time. Speaking on the Rest is Football show, he asked: “What benefit is he going to be trying to play every minute of every game for eight matches? He needs to be used sparingly. The manager’s got to be strong enough [to drop him].”
The 1-1 draw with Congo has piled the pressure on Portugal and Martinez ahead of their remaining Group K fixtures against Uzbekistan and Colombia. Martinez said: “We started the match very well. Scoring should have been a great moment, but it wasn’t.
The 41-year-old played the full match against DR Congo(Image: Icon Sport via Getty Images)
“I think we lost a bit of our attacking depth, lost fluency in possession, and allowed them to regain their shape somewhat. The confidence they gained after the goal made the game very difficult, but that’s what happens at World Cups.”
Portugal take on Uzbekistan on Tuesday before a challenging group decider against Colombia, who defeated Uzbekistan 3-1, on June 28.
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