The Cristiano Ronaldo dilemma facing Portugal at 2026 World Cup - 'Last Dance' or selection headache?
Published 11/06/2026 at 17:27 GMT+1
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The term 'The Last Dance' was popularised with the Netflix documentary about basketball legend Michael Jordan's last NBA title run with the Chicago Bulls in 1998.
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The series focused on Jordan's final championship run and how a legendary figure in basketball handled the pressure and sporting greatness to clinch his sixth title with the Bulls.
If there was to be a similar documentary about an iconic figure going for glory as their career comes to a close, it could focus on Cristiano Ronaldo's time at the 2026 World Cup.
Now 41, this summer is likely going to be the last chance for Ronaldo to win the global tournament, having failed to deliver on the biggest stage with Portugal so far.
But in the twilight of his career, the debate is whether an ageing Ronaldo should still be the focal point of Portugal's attack, or whether the rest of the team's star players are being shoehorned into a way of playing to work around their striker's clear weaknesses.
It is something manager Roberto Martinez will have to juggle, with Portugal in Group K alongside DR Congo, Uzbekistan and Colombia - and with arguably the best squad the nation have ever had.
According to Portuguese football expert Bernardo Caetano, the issue of Ronaldo's usage remains a "widely discussed and controversial topic in Portugal."
"I believe there are different opinions and that this is not a consensual topic," Caetano told TNT Sports.
"There is great admiration and gratitude for Ronaldo’s entire career and the level he has raised Portugal to, but it seems that many fans support different management and usage of him in this World Cup, giving space to another striker."
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Numbers do not lie
In terms of pure statistics, it is hard to argue with Ronaldo's record.
Since making his Portugal debut in 2003, he has been an ever-present in the side, going on to rack up 228 caps, which is the most in men's international football.
Ronaldo also has the most goals in men's international football with 143, including a record 10 international hat-tricks, tied for the most with his long-time rival Lionel Messi.
Messi has the second-most in men's international football with 117 goals in 199 appearances.
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Remarkably, Ronaldo has also scored a goal for Portugal every year for the last 22 straight, breaking the previous record set by Robbie Keane of Republic of Ireland between 1998 and 2016.
And he has proven recently that he can still have an impact, finishing with eight goals in the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League as Portugal went on to lift the trophy.
Even at club level, Ronaldo is still banging in the goals, scoring 30 times in 37 games across all competitions for Al Nassr in their title-winning season in Saudi Arabia.
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The big risk
Despite Ronaldo's continuing ability in front of goal, his inclusion does bring its own drawbacks.
This summer will be his sixth appearance at a World Cup, and he has scored just eight goals in his previous 22 appearances.
During those previous five World Cups Ronaldo has featured at, Portugal came fourth in 2006, reached the quarter-finals in 2022, were knocked out twice in the round of 16, and failed to get out of their group in 2014.
Ronaldo will also be the second-oldest player at the 2026 World Cup - two years behind Scotland's Craig Gordon - and with that comes issues around his mobility.
Long gone are the days when Ronaldo could breeze past defenders or glide into open spaces, and instead he is more of a target man to be fed by Portugal's array of creative talent.
That means that if Ronaldo is not involved in the general play, he often looks isolated and fails to provide much else to the team's general fluidity.
With a midfield that includes the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Joao Neves, Vitinha and Ruben Neves, Ronaldo's desired style of play can reduce the capacity for attacking flair from those behind him.
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According to Caetano, managing Ronaldo's usage at the World Cup "seems key in order for him to be a strength rather than something that holds the team back".
"Cristiano still shows a level capable of competing at a high standard and had a good season in Saudi Arabia," Caetano, former assistant coach of Sporting CP's Under-19 team, said.
"He is a striker who still has the ability to finish, but he also limits the national team both in defensive work and in the variability that could come from having a different profile of striker.
"It seems to me that his presence at the World Cup makes sense, but his usage should be different, putting the interests of the national team above everything else, and not necessarily being a starter all the time - he can still be useful in certain moments."
There is recent history of Portugal playing in a more fluid, attacking style without Ronaldo up top.
He was banned for their World Cup qualifier against Armenia last year, with Portugal going on to win 9-1.
And at the 2022 World Cup, Ronaldo was benched in favour of Goncalo Ramos - who Caetano believes is the likeliest to replace Ronaldo if given the opportunity - for their game against Switzerland, and Ramos went on to score a hat-trick.
So the question is whether Martinez has the strength to replace Ronaldo if the situation requires it. And Caetano remains sceptical.
"It seems difficult that he would be taken out, given his personality and the way he has spoken in recent years," he said.
"We saw that [former manager] Fernando Santos had the courage to do it four years ago, and he ended up leaving the national team afterwards."
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Choices
Ronaldo's displays in Portugal's warm-up matches for the 2026 World Cup have only sought to strengthen the talk of change following a string of glaring misses.
Clips of his wayward finishing in friendlies against Chile and Nigeria - in the latter, he was the only player not to be substituted at half-time - spread across social media, with one free header sailing well wide and a one-on-one effort flying into the stands.
Back in Portugal, there still remain differing opinions on Ronaldo's involvement, says Caetano, including amongst former players such as Benfica legend Antonio Simoes.
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"It is a very common discussion in Portugal in recent weeks, with many commentators sharing the view that he should be managed differently and not play so frequently, making it a 'controversial' topic with divided opinions," he explained.
Unlike his long-time rival Messi, Ronaldo is still seeking the World Cup trophy to add to his exhaustive list of honours.
And unlike Messi in 2022 with Argentina, Ronaldo may not be seen as Portugal's talismanic leader any more, and instead a potential hindrance in their quest to be named world champions for the first time.
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