Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t Portugal’s game-changer anymore and Roberto Martinez’s blind faith in Al-Nassr superstar could derail their Euro 2024 hopes

“That is a pure moment of Portuguese football. That is an example that should be shown in every academy in Portugal and in the world of football, that the team is the most important thing. That assist probably means more than scoring any goal.”

Roberto Martinez could hardly have been more effusive in his praise for Cristiano Ronaldo after seeing the Portugal striker set up Bruno Fernandes to score against Turkey on Saturday. Martinez described Ronaldo’s pass across the box as “spectacular”, as Fernandes was left with the simple task of tapping into an empty net, but there was nothing difficult about it.

It’s possible that Martinez was trying to take the focus away from the fact Ronaldo didn’t just shoot himself after being played through one-on-one with Turkey goalkeeper Altay Bayindir. It was the kind of chance that the prime version of Portugal’s favourite son would have gobbled up ruthlessly.

Ronaldo has now recorded the joint-highest number of assists in European Championship history, but goals have always been his motivation. It was a genuine shock to see him pick out Fernandes instead of going for glory, and his apprehension indicates that for the first time ever, self-doubt has crept into his game.

That is understandable for a player who is now approaching the ripe old age of 40. The problem is, Martinez is still insisting that Ronaldo must be Portugal’s main man, and completely ignoring all the signs suggesting he is no longer up to the task.

Clear signs of decline

Ronaldo is currently enduring his worst-ever barren run in World Cup and European Championship competition. The Al-Nassr man hasn’t scored in any of his last six major tournament outings, having also drawn a blank in Portugal’s unconvincing 2-1 win over the Czech Republic on matchday one.

No player recorded more shots than Ronaldo in the first two matches at Euro 2024 (nine), but that’s not to say he is getting into good scoring positions. He’s actually only got an expected goals (xG) total of 1.11, and has only made two runs into the attacking third. Even on the few occasions Ronaldo has attempted to take on his man with a stepover or drop of the shoulder, he’s looked far too stiff, and defenders have had an easy time stopping him in his tracks.

The likes of Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and Raphael Leao have almost played around Ronaldo, who has appeared content to have minimal involvement in Portugal’s build-up play. That would be fine if he was still a master poacher, but age has caught up with him, and it’s impossible to escape the feeling that the Seleccao are failing to reach their full potential because Ronaldo is still starting every game.

Diogo Jota, Goncalo Ramos and Joao Felix have all been waiting on the bench for a chance to shine, and it must be frustrating for all of them to see Ronaldo being given preferential treatment purely on his past achievements. He’s not Portugal’s game-changer anymore, which Martinez needs to realise quickly if he is to take the team all the way to the final.

Stagnation

Ronaldo did score 10 goals in European Championship qualifying, but that really didn’t mean much. Portugal made the most of a favourable draw as they finished top of their group with a perfect record, eight points ahead of second-placed Slovakia.

The Sporting CP academy graduate’s staggering haul of 50 goals in all competitions for Al-Nassr last season also paints a misleading picture. The top two clubs in the Saudi Pro League both reached the 100-goal mark in their 34 league matches, a figure not matched by any team in the Bundesliga after the same number of games, or in the 38-game campaigns in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, and Ligue 1.

The simple truth is: Ronaldo is no longer playing at an elite level. For that reason alone, there is a strong argument that he should never have been included in Portugal’s Euro 2024 squad. And had it not been for Martinez, he probably wouldn’t have been.

Fernando Santos famously dropped Ronaldo at the World Cup in Qatar, and he was vindicated when Ramos scored a stunning hat-trick after replacing him upfront in Portugal’s 6-1 thrashing of Switzerland in the round of 16. The Seleccao suffered a shock defeat to Morocco in the next round, though, with Ronaldo benched once again, and Santos paid the price with his job.

Tellingly, Santos has since insisted that if he could go back, he would make the same decision again. But one of Martinez’s first orders of business after inheriting the reins was to reinstall Ronaldo as the focal point in the team. As a result, Portugal have stagnated instead of progressing.

Circus won’t go away

Portugal could also have done without the circus that follows Ronaldo everywhere he goes. When the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star was indispensable it could be ignored, but now it’s providing an unwanted sideshow.

Six supporters gained access to the pitch during Portugal’s win over Turkey at Borussia Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park, all with the goal of taking a selfie with Ronaldo. He indulged the first of them, an endearing young child, but his frustration visibly grew with every subsequent security breach, the last of which saw Ramos accidently floored by a guard.

UEFA have since beefed up their security operation in Germany and warned pitch invaders that they will face criminal action if there are any repeat incidents. But there will always be those who go to great lengths to rub shoulders with Ronaldo, regardless of the consequences.

“It’s a bit annoying in terms of always having to stop the game because a fan enters the pitch,” Bernardo Silva admitted after the game. “But that’s the price you pay for being the most-recognised player in the world of football.”

The worrying scenes in Sunday’s game actually worked in Ronaldo’s favour, as they distracted from his lack of impact for Portugal. He is still clinging on to relevance in the modern game, which in reality has long passed him by, and his unprecedented popularity is helping that cause.

As the most followed man on Instagram, everyone wants a piece of Ronaldo. He’s undoubtedly one of the greatest players of all time, and his CR7 brand remains a behemoth. But Portugal don’t need him to be an influencer; Ronaldo is in the team to deliver goals, and if he can’t do that anymore, then he’s just holding this talented squad back.

‘Doesn’t make any sense’

Ronaldo holds the all-time international appearances record with 208 caps for Portugal, and Martinez has claimed that he wants to reach 250 before hanging up his boots. While that would undeniably be another remarkable milestone, Ronaldo doesn’t seem to realise that he’s risking real damage to his legacy by overstaying his welcome with the national team.

The Portuguese public has slowly started to turn against Ronaldo in recent times, too. CNN Portugal pundit Sofia Oliveira told BBC Sport last week: “It doesn’t make any sense for him to be an undisputed starter any more. It seems clear to me that his presence in the team conditions other players around him. Just look at their actions and you’ll see that sometimes they search for Ronaldo in contexts that don’t benefit the team. And then there’s the issue that he doesn’t want to spend much time without the ball, so he tracks back to areas occupied by other players, with his positional anarchy affecting them.”

No one who watched Ronaldo’s performances against the Czechs or Turkey could argue with that assessment. Portugal have a solid defence and a host of technically brilliant attackers, but they’re not as fluid as they could be because there is a pressure to look for Ronaldo to provide the finishing touch.

Teams like France, Germany, Spain, England and Italy won’t be losing any sleep over the prospect of facing Portugal’s veteran captain in the knockout stages. But if Martinez were to drop Ronaldo, the Seleccao’s chances of emulating their 2016 title success in France would increase dramatically.

Time for a rest?

With Portugal already safely through to the round of 16, Martinez has the luxury of being able to experiment with his line up in their final group game against Georgia. Giving Ronaldo a rest seemed like an obvious move, but it would have come with a downside.

Supporters haven’t forgotten how well Portugal played with Ramos leading the line against the Swiss at the 2022 World Cup. And the best performance of Martinez’s reign so far came when his team annihilated Luxembourg 9-0 in Euro 2024 qualifying, when Ronaldo was absent through suspension.

Ramos enjoyed a strong finish to his debut season at Paris Saint-Germain and would have been raring to remind the world what he can do, while Jota could potentially have been even more devastating. The Liverpool ace is a deadly finisher with both feet and he can ask questions of any defence with his agility on the ball and intelligent movement off it. Bringing Ronaldo back in after a strong performance from either man would have been difficult.

Martinez, though, has confirmed that Ronaldo will be in his line up again on Wednesday. The Spaniard has shown unwavering loyalty to the five-time Ballon d’Or winner so far, but another lacklustre performance will only lead to more calls for a change up top.

Living on past reputation

“This generation deserves to win a competition of this magnitude,” Ronaldo said to reporters after the Portugal squad touched down in Germany. Ronaldo is clearly oblivious to the fact he is one of the last remaining relics from a bygone generation, along with 41-year-old Porto centre-half Pepe.

Ronaldo’s experience may well prove useful in the dressing room, but he’s a passenger on the pitch. He doesn’t press or track back and he can still be seen regularly throwing mini-tantrums whenever a team-mate fails to find him with a pass.

He’s a disruptive presence and Portugal are running the risk of letting their current generation go to waste by keeping him on board. Martinez’s claim that Ronaldo made his final squad for the Euros “on merit” is sounding more ridiculous with each passing game; he’s living on his past reputation.

No player will ever beat Father Time, not even one as dedicated, and stubborn, as Ronaldo. His era at the top is over, and Portugal feel destined to pay the price for his inability to accept that reality.