Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has suggested that the Portugal squad do not enjoy playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo in the same manner that the Argentina team does with Lionel Messi. Ronaldo's World Cup campaign ended in disappointment as Portugal suffered a 1-0 defeat to Spain in the round of 16 on Monday, with Mikel Merino scoring a 91st-minute winner at the Dallas Stadium.
Ronaldo's World Cup Performance
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner started all five of Portugal's World Cup fixtures in North America, netting three times. Ronaldo, 41, scored twice in a 5-0 thrashing of Uzbekistan during the group phase and converted a penalty in the round of 16 victory against Croatia. However, he has been overshadowed by Messi, 39, who has scored seven goals in four matches and leads the Golden Boot race alongside France's Kylian Mbappe and Norway's Erling Haaland.
Rooney's Observations on Team Dynamics
Rooney, who played alongside Ronaldo at Manchester United for six years, does not sense the same team dynamic around Ronaldo as exists around Messi. Speaking as a BBC pundit during the World Cup, Rooney said: "You always put Ronaldo and Messi together because they are two of the best players the game has ever seen. But the Argentinian lads seem like they're all there for Messi. They're all behind him. Messi has obviously been fantastic at this World Cup. I don't get that vibe from the Portuguese players."
Ronaldo's Final World Cup
Ronaldo confirmed before the match against Spain that this would be his last World Cup. The superstar, born in 1985, has appeared in six consecutive tournaments, scoring 11 goals in 27 matches. "Let this be my last World Cup; it is my last World Cup, and I hope tomorrow won't be my last match," Ronaldo said. He had previously declined to confirm the tournament would be his last, despite being 45 when the next World Cup is hosted by Portugal, Spain, and Morocco in 2030.
Ronaldo's Reflections
At his pre-match press conference on Sunday, Ronaldo stated: "I will finish when I choose. You always ask the same question: is this the last one? We will see. I don't want to draw attention to this, the most important thing is to play well tomorrow." He added: "I'm going to be perfectly honest, regardless of what happens tomorrow, Cristiano is going to be 1,000% leaving with a clear conscience. I have given all I could to football, it's my passion to play for so many years. I didn't do it out of need, I'm doing well out of life. It's about passion. I play for the national team and I love to play football."
Ronaldo emphasized that he does not feel pressure to win: "Regardless of what happens tomorrow I'm not going to exert pressure on myself that I must win. You have to enjoy every match at a huge competition like the World Cup. I think I'm not doing so bad. I've scored three goals, others have done better but I think I'm doing not so bad."
