Cristiano Ronaldo exits the 2026 World Cup a legend, as ever, but the Portuguese national team and its talismanic No. 7 will never shake that feeling that they should have done so much more. This was the most talented Portugal in 20 years since the first time Ronaldo was at the World Cup with the likes of Luis Figo and Nuno Gomes, and you could argue while they did not have the same attacking panache besides Cristiano, they had a more well rounded squad.
The fit with Roberto Martinez and his antiquated, 2009 wide style of attacking football never quite jibed with the midfield talent in Portugal, but regardless of the tactics or the manager, there is no question that Bruno Fernandes was horrendous at the World Cup. He was one of the worst players in the entire tournament and held the team back, making selfish decisions, failing to work for his teammates, and proving that only Manchester United fans fooled by his stat padding are the only ones who rate them.
And interestingly enough, former Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney, who is never one to defend his former teammate Ronaldo if it is unwarranted, is seeing past the Fernandes scam, too, and he took the Portuguese playmaker to task for his putrid performance DURING the broadcast of the game - an eventual 1-0 loss for Portugal to Spain.
Bruno Fernandes held Cristiano Ronaldo back
Rooney said of Fernandes, via Madrid Xtra, “If you are playing Cristiano Ronaldo, you have to use him. The ball could have been put in the box here, from Bruno but he refused to put it in. If you play him, you have to use him, on set pieces he is still a massive threat for Portugal. Don't play him the ball 30 yards from the goal, that's not his strength anymore. Get to him into the penalty area where he is still effective.”
One of the greatest strikers of all time himself, the former England international was 100 percent spot on here. Cristiano Ronaldo was set up to fail by the team - and Bruno Fernandes played no small part in that. Despite only having a role where he could solely focus on creating, Bruno literally creating nothing and contributed nothing to the Portugal cause, with fans rightfully blasting him.
Cristiano, meanwhile, had no service or clear chances from his teammates, but he still worked hard for the team by winning fouls, creating chances, and making smart dummies off the ball to create those critical inches of space for him and his teammates. Real Madrid fans knew all along that Bruno was the one holding Cristiano back this World Cup, and Wayne Rooney saw the trend, too.
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