Cristiano Ronaldo is a world-class player with consistency and longevity for clubs and country. He has broken different records and has been regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.
But certain factors have limited his performance for both club and country. Ronaldo’s advancement in age and ego is one of the things that have stopped us from seeing the beast we saw 15 years ago.
Next year, the former Manchester United striker will be 38 years old. Portugal has been besieged by young world-class players whose performances have helped Portugal stay on top of their game.
Since the beginning of the World Cup in Qatar, Portugal has scored six goals, with Ronaldo scoring a single goal, which was a controversial penalty against Ghana.
Against Uruguay, he struggled against the team’s defenders, with Bruno Fernandes scoring two goals. During Portugal’s last match against South Korea, a Cristiano Ronaldo error led to a South Korea goal.
Apart from that, Cristiano Ronaldo missed a glorious chance to get his second goal in the World Cup 2022.
He is among the players on the Worst Xi for the FIfA World Cup group stage in Qatar.
He remains the team’s main striker, but Cristiano Ronaldo has been struggling to score goals. He has only scored two goals in the Premier League compared to his 18 goals last season.
It was rumored that he swore at Portugal’s manager for substituting him against South Korea. His egotism is a factor that can affect team performances in the long run even though they are in a good run.
Why Portugal can win the World Cup without Ronaldo
Although Cistiano Ronaldo brings leadership and motivates his teammates, his controversial attitude may affect the team.
Portugal need to put Ronaldo on the bench and reduce his playing time. Start Rafael Leao and Joao Felix on the right side. Bring Andre Silva to the No. 9 position. They need to start Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva in the midfield.
Although the defense remains a focus, if the manager starts a strong defensive midfielder, it will surely make the team stronger.
The road to winning the most prestigious trophy in the world is a tough one, hence, with or without Ronaldo, there is no guarantee that Portugal will win the trophy.
However, there is a huge assurance that Portugal will play more as a unit if Ronaldo is given a lesser role in the team.
Who will Portugal Face in the Round of 16 and who will they likely face in the Quarter final of the 2022 World Cup?
Portugal faces Switzerland in the Round of 16 on December 6, 2022, and it is going to be a tough match. Portugal has been tipped to win due to the caliber of its players. Portugal’s win will move them to the quarterfinals of the tournament.
The team will face the winner of the match between Morocco and Spain in the quarterfinals. Both teams are not easy to play with. However, a lot of people would love to see the Spanish team play Portugal.
