Former Chelsea star, Craig Burley, believes Portugal will struggle to make a meaningful impact at the 2026 World Cup if Cristiano Ronaldo continues to lead the team.
Despite Ronaldo’s influential role as captain and his remarkable goal-scoring record for Portugal, Burley in a chat with ESPN, warned that the Al Nassr star should always start from the bench.
“To be still going at this age is incredible. But will a 41 and half year old be able to lead the line in the 2026 World Cup for one of the most talented teams in the tournament?
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“Bearing in mind the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Euros, we had evidence that at this level, he just can’t do it anymore.
“Maybe you can put him on the bench, but then there’s a pressure on the manager about why he’s not playing Ronaldo. I think it lacks foresight from Roberto Martinez just to continue selecting him.
“Even if he gets the odd goal, and he does that, but there is a body of evidence and I’m not making this up, in the last two
major tournaments, he was either dropped or he struggled.”
