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Ronaldo draws a blank in Portugal's World Cup opener as Henry slams his selfishness

Cristiano Ronaldo failed to score in Portugal's 1-1 draw with DR Congo at the 2026 World Cup, extending his international goal drought to 10 games. Thierry Henry accused the 41-year-old of blocking Bruno Fernandes from a tap-in by prioritising his own pursuit of 1,000 career goals.

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Ronaldo draws a blank in Portugal's World Cup opener as Henry slams his selfishness
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Cristiano Ronaldo drew a blank in Portugal’s 1-1 draw with DR Congo in their opening 2026 World Cup group match, extending his run without an international goal to 10 appearances. The 41-year-old, who sits on 973 career goals, wasted two clear chances and attracted sharp criticism for his decision-making in the final third.

Thierry Henry was the most prominent voice calling Ronaldo out, arguing on air that the forward twice obstructed teammates by chasing personal milestones rather than serving the team. The French legend pointed to a moment when Ronaldo moved into Bruno Fernandes’s path and denied him what would have been a straightforward finish.

“The team needs to score, not you need to score,” Henry said. “Because he wants to score, he goes into the path of Bruno Fernandes. If he goes into the six-yard box, you’ve been in that situation — you would have had to follow him. Then it would have been a tap-in for Bruno Fernandes.”

Henry identified a second incident in which Ronaldo’s movement made it easier for the opposition to defend. “Because he wants to score, he goes in the path of the backpass. You see both players and it’s easier for you to defend. And that’s my thing — the team needs to score, not you.”

Ronaldo made history in the match by becoming only the second player, after Lionel Messi earlier the same day, to appear in a record sixth World Cup. Messi marked the occasion with a hat-trick against Algeria, sharpening the contrast between the two rivals.

Despite the international drought, Ronaldo has been in fine club form, scoring 30 goals in 37 appearances for Al-Nassr across all competitions this season. He publicly committed to playing on until he reaches 1,000 career goals, telling the Globe Soccer Awards in December: “I want to reach that number that you all know. I will reach the number for sure, if no injuries.”

Portugal face Uzbekistan next before a decisive group-stage clash against early leaders Colombia on 28 June.

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