Costil slams Ronaldo as "more of a burden than anything else" for Portugal at World Cup

Former international goalkeeper Benoît Costil delivered a scathing critique of Cristiano Ronaldo following Portugal’s disappointing 1-1 draw with DR Congo in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup.

“The problem is that Cristiano Ronaldo, I think he’s both a player and also a selector. He does pretty much everything at Portugal,” Costil, now a pundit, said. “We all have enormous respect and admiration for Cristiano, for his longevity, for his work, for his talent and for everything he’s done. But today, I think he’s more of a burden for Portugal than anything else. I even think he can irritate the players around him.”

The debate centers notably on Roberto Martinez’s decision to keep Ronaldo in the starting lineup despite a performance deemed poor, never substituting him during the match. Costil went further by naming a ready-made successor: “I’m sorry, but today I think Gonçalo Ramos would do more and better than Cristiano Ronaldo. In the end, Ronaldo is only there to finish off plays, he’s not in the game, he’s present nowhere. So it’s more of a burden than anything else.”

The former goalkeeper also raised questions about internal management within the Seleção: “Is he putting himself on the bench on his own, or what? Is he managing himself?” A question that points to the supposed influence of the 40-year-old star on the coach’s sporting decisions.

Despite these criticisms, Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to start in Portugal’s second match against Uzbekistan on Tuesday at 7 p.m.