"I'm not so certain that he's still that person" - Pundit believes Portugal can't rely on Cristiano Ronaldo at the 2026 FIFA World Cup

ESPN pundit Shaka Hislop reckons Portugal cannot rely on Cristiano Ronaldo during the 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stages, as he doesn't believe Ronaldo is the player he once was. Hislop's comments arrived after the 40-year-old ace netted a brace during Portugal's 2-2 draw against Hungary in their World Cup qualifier clash on Tuesday, October 14.

Cristiano Ronaldo continued to make history as he broke another record against Hungary. With his two goals, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner scored his 41st goal in World Cup qualifiers, breaking Carlos Ruiz's haul of 40. Ronaldo is expected to feature at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and will be aiming to lift the prestigious trophy after helping Portugal win the Nations League earlier this year.

Despite Ronaldo being the highest international goalscorer of all time (143 goals), Hislop raised his concerns during a segment on ESPN. He stated:

"Is Cristiano Ronaldo the striker that you rely on? World Cup qualifiers, yes. I don't think there is any question about that. But at the World Cup, in the knockouts, is he the guy you rely on to pull you out of the fire? I'm not so certain he's still that person."

Ronaldo has notably struggled to make an impact in the World Cup knockout stages across his career and is yet to register a goal contribution in eight appearances.

---

"We tried to do what we trained for, but we failed" - Nuno Mendes explains why Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal dropped points against Hungary

Cristiano Ronaldo's teammate, Nuno Mendes, reckons Portugal were held to a 2-2 draw by Hungary because they slowed down the tempo after going 2-1 up and weren't focused on the ball.

Attila Szalai headed home in the eighth minute to break the deadlock for Hungary. However, Cristiano Ronaldo's clinical brace (22', 45+3') gave A Selecao the advantage going into the break. Despite this, Portugal weren't at their best in the second half and were punished by Dominik Szoboszlai's late equalizer (90+1').

After the game, Mendes said (via @TheNassrZone):

“After the second goal we slowed down the tempo and they profited. We tried to do what we trained for, but we failed. We need to stay focused and, in November, do things correctly.”

He added:

“We need to be focused, keep the ball. We are a side that knows how to keep the ball, who like to have it. We have capacity to control almost every game we play, but today unfortunately we failed to and we paid dearly.”

Portugal will next face Ireland in the World Cup qualifiers on November 13.

Edited by Silas Sud