Thierry Henry has criticized Cristiano Ronaldo for putting his own ambitions ahead of the Portugal team. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star faced heavy criticism following a poor performance in Portugal's surprising draw with DR Congo in their World Cup opener.
Ronaldo's Struggles in the Opener
Ronaldo, participating in a record-equaling sixth World Cup, missed two key chances to secure victory and appeared a shadow of his former self. Despite his ineffective display, the 41-year-old played the full match, drawing sharp criticism from former Premier League striker Chris Sutton. Sutton posted on X: "Embarrassingly weak from Roberto Martinez. He should have substituted Ronaldo but was too afraid of upsetting him. Ronaldo essentially manages Portugal. Well played DR Congo… they deserved the point."
Henry's Analysis
Speaking on Fox Sports, Henry highlighted a specific moment where Ronaldo obstructed teammate Bruno Fernandes. "The team needs to score, not you. Because he wants to score, he moves into Bruno Fernandes's path," Henry said. "If he goes into the six-yard box, you would have to follow him, Alexi. Then it would have been an easy tap-in for Bruno." Henry added: "On another play, because he wants to score, he runs into the path of a backpass. That makes it easier for defenders. The team needs to score, not you."
Call for Reduced Role
Joe Cole also urged manager Roberto Martinez to use Ronaldo more sparingly. On the Rest is Football podcast, Cole said: "What benefit is there in him playing every minute of every match for eight games? He needs to be used sparingly. The manager must be strong enough to drop him."
Portugal's Group Situation
The 1-1 draw with DR Congo has increased pressure on Portugal and Martinez ahead of remaining Group K matches against Uzbekistan and Colombia. Martinez commented: "We started well. Scoring should have been a great moment, but it wasn't. We lost attacking depth and fluency in possession, allowing them to regain shape. The confidence they gained after the goal made it difficult, but that's what happens at World Cups."
Portugal faces Uzbekistan on Tuesday before a tough group finale against Colombia, who beat Uzbekistan 3-1, on June 28.
