No pressure to pass the ball to Ronaldo in World Cup: Portugal’s Conceicao
Key takeaways
- Ronaldo has faced criticism after his performance in Portugal’s first match of the FIFA World Cup.
- Critics have questioned whether the 41-year-old Ronaldo’s lack of mobility is having a negative effect on Portugal’s chances in the wake of a pedestrian 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- But Conceicao on Sunday said there was no question of players feeling obliged to pass to Ronaldo if other teammates were in better attacking positions.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Ronaldo has faced criticism after his performance in Portugal’s first match of the FIFA World Cup.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Critics have questioned whether the 41-year-old Ronaldo's lack of mobility is having a negative effect on Portugal's chances in the wake of a pedestrian 1-1 draw with DR Congo [Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images]By AFPPublished On 22 Jun 202622 Jun 2026Portugal winger Francisco Conceicao insists his teammates felt no pressure to pass to Cristiano Ronaldo following scrutiny of the veteran superstar’s role in their lacklustre World Cup opener.
Critics have questioned whether the 41-year-old Ronaldo’s lack of mobility is having a negative effect on Portugal’s chances in the wake of a pedestrian 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.