Portugal's Ronaldo dilemma: Undroppable or a hindrance?

It was the sort of friendly that could easily have slipped from memory. Played early in the season against Kazakhstan, who had only recently joined Uefa, the fixture took place in front of a sold-out crowd of just 8,000 fans and on a pitch so shabby that the grass had to be painted to improve its appearance. And yet, that narrow 1-0 win in Chaves in northern Portugal has never really faded away. That is because 20 August 2003 is the day Cristiano Ronaldo's story with the senior Portugal national team began.

It would have been a stretch at the time to anticipate the boy from Madeira making his World Cup debut three years later, and entirely unrealistic to predict that he would go on to feature at a record sixth World Cup in 2026 — along with Argentina's Lionel Messi and Mexico's Guillermo Ochoa, both fellow six-timers. But Ronaldo — the all-time leading scorer in international football with 143 goals — has reinvented Portuguese football, transforming its mentality like no player before him and, most importantly, redefining what an entire nation believed was possible.

The debate over Ronaldo's role

In his previous five World Cups, the superstar, now 41, always arrived with an untouchable status. It won't be different this summer, even if the scrutiny back home around his role has only intensified since Qatar 2022. For a long time, openly questioning Ronaldo's place in the team almost felt like treason. Not any more.

"He doesn't play to win, he plays to be the main figure," argued Antonio Simoes, a member of the Portugal side that finished third at the 1966 World Cup. "Do you understand that it's the opposite of Eusebio? Let's call things by their name. I have nothing against him. I can still see, I can still hear and I can still think. But I can't run away from the reality of the facts."

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez has dismissed the debate around Ronaldo as "lift talk." Whenever Martinez is asked questions about the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, he has pointed to the same statistic in all his recent interviews — 25 goals in his past 31 games for the Selecao. "We are talking about the greatest player of all time. He is here because he is still performing at a very high level, not because of what he achieved in the past," Martinez said.

Ronaldo's impact on and off the pitch

"We are a small country that rarely has global impact outside football," Joao Aroso, who worked with the forward both at Sporting and at the national team, told BBC Sport. "Cristiano allows our small country to be known worldwide for something great — because of all the positive things he stands for."

Having scored at each of his five World Cups, Ronaldo will have another chance to answer critics on the pitch. The Al-Nassr man has eight World Cup goals to his name, one short of Eusebio's Portuguese record, but the ultimate prize is obvious: helping Portugal lift the trophy for the first time.

Are Portugal a better team without Ronaldo?

Ronaldo has already confirmed this will be his final World Cup. Even if he is no longer at his peak physically, there is little doubt Portugal will revolve around him when they begin their campaign against DR Congo on 17 June.

"Cristiano understands the big moments better than almost anyone in football," former Portugal international Abel Xavier told BBC World Service. "That experience can be decisive in a World Cup. His presence is very important. People focus on the physical side, but there is also the technical side and especially the mental side. The younger players look up to him and he always gives something to the team."

Former Portugal goalkeeper Ricardo, who was on the pitch for Ronaldo's international debut in 2003 and is part of the national team coaching staff, takes a similar view to Xavier. "The speed may no longer be quite the same," Ricardo said. "Instead of running at 200km/h, he is running at 195km/h now. It is still incredibly high."