Only last year Cristiano Ronaldo finished the season at Manchester United as the leading goal-scorer and was considered the main man for Portugal in the upcoming World Cup. But a lot has changed in the last few months. Ronaldo is no longer a starter at the United, and now his place in Portugal’s team is also being questioned, especially his poor performance against Spain.  

Ronaldo’s lacklustre outing became the talking point, as Portugal succumbed to a 1-0 defeat to Spain to crash out of the UEFA Nations League. Portugal just needed a draw, and they almost had it before Alvaro Morata fired an 88th-minute winner. 

The consensus on him back home is that Portugal can do well without an ageing superstar whose power is in wane. A Bola, the leading tabloid, noted that his influence on the team has been on a decline, and the manager Fernando Santos could easily bench him for the big games. 

Ronaldo has had a horrible night in Lisbon, as his passes were far from perfect, his shots flayed wide, and showed not much interest in tracking back when the team was out of position.  

“There is absolutely zero explanation for Cristiano Ronaldo to still be a starter for Portugal in 2022. Not when there’s Rafael Leão, Pedro Neto, João Félix and so many other talented players waiting in the wings. Another anonymous performance from him today,” wrote Zach Lowy, the founder of Breaking The Lines. 

Although the clamour to reduce his game time has gained intensity, it’s highly unlikely for Santos to take that step. He will continue to start the games, even though he doesn’t merit a place in the strongest XI.  

Even at Man Utd, Erik ten Hag understood the flipside of starting Ronaldo and has used him very infrequently, only when the team is in a strong position, from where they can’t drop points. 

“I will be his friend. Sometimes I will be his teacher. It depends on the situation. As we all know, he didn’t have the pre-season and you can not miss the pre-season. Especially the game we play,” Ten Hag said earlier this month. 

Lead Image: Cristiano Ronaldo/Twitter