Rooney claims Portugal players don't share Argentina's bond with their star as Ronaldo exits World Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup career ended in a 1-0 defeat to Spain at Dallas Stadium on Monday, with Mikel Merino’s 91st-minute header sending Portugal home from the round of 16 — and prompting Wayne Rooney to deliver a pointed assessment of the 41-year-old’s standing within his own squad.

Rooney, who spent six years alongside Ronaldo at Manchester United, drew a sharp contrast between the atmosphere surrounding Portugal and that of Argentina, where Lionel Messi has scored seven goals in four games and sits at the top of the Golden Boot race alongside Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland.

“You always put Ronaldo and Messi together because they are two of the best players the game has ever seen,” Rooney said. “But the Argentinian lads seem like they’re all there for Messi. They’re all behind him. Messi has obviously been fantastic at this World Cup. I don’t get that vibe from the Portuguese players.”

Ronaldo had started all five of Portugal’s matches in North America, scoring three goals — a brace in a 5-0 group-stage rout of Uzbekistan and a penalty in the round-of-16 win over Croatia. Despite those contributions, he was unable to prevent the tournament ending at the last-16 stage.

Before the Spain match, Ronaldo confirmed this would be his final World Cup, having featured in six consecutive tournaments and scored 11 goals across 27 appearances. “Let this be my last World Cup; it is my last World Cup, and I hope tomorrow won’t be my last match,” he said.

His pre-tournament stance had been more guarded. Asked repeatedly whether 2026 would be his swansong, Ronaldo pushed back, noting he would be 45 by the time the 2030 edition arrives in Portugal, Spain and Morocco. “I will finish when I choose,” he said in his pre-match press conference on Sunday. “Regardless of what happens tomorrow, Cristiano is going to be 1,000 per cent leaving with a clear conscience. I have given all I could to football.”

With Messi still alive in the tournament and Ronaldo now watching from the sidelines, the enduring debate over the two icons takes on a new dimension — one Rooney believes the Portugal camp has never quite resolved in their own dressing room.