Ronaldo appears to flag his own teammate offside as Portugal draw with DR Congo

Cristiano Ronaldo raised eyebrows during Portugal’s 1-1 World Cup 2026 Group K draw against DR Congo on 17 June, appearing to flag his own teammate Joao Cancelo offside moments after Cancelo netted with an overhead kick.

Footage from the incident shows Ronaldo immediately waving his arm toward the linesman after the ball hit the net — the same instinctive gesture a defender makes when appealing against an opponent’s goal. Cancelo’s effort was indeed ruled out for offside, though whether Ronaldo’s signal had any bearing on the decision is unclear.

Portugal, considered among the tournament favourites heading into the summer, were held to a frustrating result in a game that should, on paper, have been more comfortable. Ronaldo cut a largely dejected figure throughout, and the moment of apparent protest against his own side’s goal only added to a difficult evening for the 39-year-old captain.

This is not the first time Ronaldo has been seen making such a gesture after a teammate scores. In 2023, Anderson Talisca headed Al-Nassr in front late in an Asian Champions League match, and Ronaldo was spotted performing the identical arm wave as the ball crossed the line. Further back, in 2016 while at Real Madrid, Alvaro Morata grabbed a late winner against Athletic Bilbao — and again, Ronaldo turned to the linesman with the same signal.

Some observers have suggested Ronaldo is simply trying to communicate to teammates that a goal may not stand, rather than actively hoping it is disallowed. Others have pointed to the pattern across three separate incidents spanning a decade as something harder to explain away.

Portugal’s draw leaves them with work to do in Group K if they are to advance with the authority expected of a side with genuine World Cup ambitions.