Portugal vs. Uzbekistan: Is "weak link" Cristiano Ronaldo holding Roberto Martinez's side back at 2026 World Cup?

Ahead of Portugal's cardinal 2026 World Cup clash with Uzbekistan connected Tuesday, Sports Mole's Senior Reporter Oliver Thomas discusses Cristiano Ronaldo, who struggled successful his opening crippled of the tourney vs. DR Congo.

Oliver Thomas, Senior Reporter: "He conscionable isn't offering excessively much"

I basal by my constituent astir Ronaldo being the anemic link. I cognize we are lone 1 game in and we can't get excessively carried away. He just isn't offering excessively overmuch if he isn't scoring, and the stats enactment that. 

In presumption of touches, 25 successful full is Ronaldo's fewest successful a crippled astatine a large tourney for a lucifer helium has played the full 90 minutes. He wasn't getting progressive overmuch and didn't have that desired impact in attack. 

At times it looked arsenic if Ronaldo's teammates were squandering amended chances trying to springiness him work alternatively than being a spot more selfish themselves. They are a small spot to blasted connected apical of that. 

I tin recognize wherefore Martinez decided to support him connected for the full game. When Portugal were chasing the game, you privation idiosyncratic with Ronaldo's goal-scoring grounds connected the pitch, and that volition beryllium the presumption of Martinez. 

The existent statement is whether Ronaldo should person started this lucifer successful the archetypal place. All those large Ronaldo fans retired there won't like maine saying this, but maybe now is the clip for Ronaldo to beryllium connected the bench. 

He mightiness beryllium amended suited coming off the bench, giving him fractional an hr oregon truthful and offering thing antithetic erstwhile needed alternatively than starting. 

Has Martinez got the courage, astatine this World Cup and most apt Ronaldo's last, to seat him for the bully of the team? I'm just not definite helium has that at the moment, and I wouldn't be amazed if helium started again present against Uzbekistan. 

The likes of Goncalo Ramos, Joao Felix, and Goncalo Guedes should beryllium considered much for a commencement done the middle. 

Maybe adjacent idiosyncratic similar Rafael Leao could beryllium moved into a cardinal position, arsenic those players are much mobile and person the quality to burst guardant and successful behind defences. 

Ronaldo present is truly conscionable a poacher, idiosyncratic who relies connected work from others successful and astir the box. If he isn't getting that work and isn't scoring, he's not truly offering overmuch else. 

It's just 1 extremity successful 10 large tourney games, and that was a punishment against Ghana successful 2022. There person been nary goals from unfastened play successful that time. It's clear present that he's not having the aforesaid interaction arsenic helium erstwhile had for the nationalist team. 

If Portugal privation to spell acold and compete, particularly successful the bigger games arsenic they advancement further successful the tournament, Ronaldo whitethorn request to beryllium taken retired of this team. They just can't rely connected him the mode they perhaps did in the past. 

Martinez mentioned earlier the tourney that helium spoke to Eli Junior Kroupi of Bournemouth astir a imaginable call-up representing Portugal, arsenic helium was eligible done his mother's side, but helium has opted to represent France. 

If idiosyncratic similar him was successful this Portugal broadside up front, helium would connection a antithetic dynamic to that attack. 

In the end it is Ronaldo for now, and Martinez has a really big decision to marque for these adjacent 2 games. Personally I wouldn't start him, but I'm not the Portugal boss.