There were many players who stood out in their debut match of the 2026 World Cup. Stars like Messi, Haaland and Mbappé They met expectations after scoring between two and three goals in their matches with their national teams.
However, there were other footballers who were left behind in their first World Cup matches, from the young Lamine Yamal with the Spanish team to, probably, the star that generated the most disappointment: Cristiano Ronaldo with Portugal.
The Portuguese team could not get past a 1-1 draw in its match against the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and There were many opportunities that CR7 had to score the difference goal.
His performance generated several criticisms among football fans and experts, but one of the harshest comments came from the former Arsenal and Barcelona footballer, the Frenchman Thierry Henry.
During a sports analysis on Fox Sports, Henry stated that The Portuguese player must prioritize collective results over his individual achievements.
“The team needs to score, not you. You have to open the spaces and let your teammates participate in the play, which didn’t happen with Portugal,” Henry said.
During the program, Henry, who was also accompanied by Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic, analyzed a particular play in which Cristiano “looks for his goal”, instead of giving his teammate Bruno Fernandes the opportunity to score.
“He wanted to score; That’s why Bruno Fernandes’ frustrated reactionwho asked him to create space so he could score,” added the Frenchman.
The analysts also agreed on several tactical errors by Portugal that They facilitated the defensive deployment of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Finally, Ibrahimovic stated that Cristiano Ronaldo “made the wrong decision” by looking to score, instead of giving his teammates the opportunity.