Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo added another huge moment to his carry, scoring a crucial penalty in his usual icy fashion as Portugal managed to sink his old friend Luka Modric and Croatia in the 2026 World Cup Round of 32, 2-1 in one of the most dramatic World Cup knockout games ever played.
Ronaldo had lost a brilliant goal with a world class first touch and chipped finish to VAR finding the point of his shoulder offside, but he quickly recovered to dispatch the penalty to become the oldest ever World Cup scorer in the knockout stages at 41 years old.
Cristiano, with the world speculating that this could be his last ever World Cup match and even his last bout with Portugal, lived to fight another day, coming through in the clutch yet again. But he did not finish the match for Portugal, as Roberto Martinez subbed him out in the second half, which did not prove to be the wrong decision as Goncalo Ramos bagged a winner from a pinpoint Rafael Leao cross.
Cristiano Ronaldo never wants to yield
Speaking after the game, the legendary forward told reporters, via Fabrizio Romano, when asked if he is hurt more by being subbed or having a goal disallowed that, for him, the worst thing is not being able to start a match.
Ronaldo said, “I suffer more when I am not in the starting lineup”.
There was a big debate after Portugal's tough first game against a very underrated DR Congo side, which the Selecao drew 1-1, if Ronaldo should still be starting for the national team. Most Portugal fans did not see any issues with Ronaldo starting, but the likes of Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic quickly bashed him after an off game tactically by the whole team.
Not but one game later, Ronaldo scored a brilliant brace as the Portuguese team blew Uzbekistan out. Ronaldo is having a strong World Cup tournament even at the age of 41, and you can see how much it means to him to be in the starting lineup. He does not mind yielding the floor to Goncalo Ramos, Joao Felix, or another younger Portugal standout in the attack if necessary, but, for him, not starting is a sign of his own decline and lack of importance.
Make no mistake. Cristiano is not being selfish. He can recover from a goal that is disallowed by scoring another. Being subbed is just a coaching change. But not starting would be a sign of him slipping his standard, and that is always something that would tear Cristiano up.
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