Liverpool legend Alan Hansen criticised Cristiano Ronaldo for his performances at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where Portugal finished second in the group stage following a goalless draw with Colombia on Saturday (June 27) in Miami.
Ronaldo, 41, endured a frustrating outing in the campaign-opening 1-1 draw with DR Congo, managing two off-target shots and 25 touches. He improved in the 5-0 victory over competition debutants Uzbekistan, scoring twice to become the first player to score at six World Cups and the oldest to net a brace.
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However, against Colombia, the Al-Nassr forward failed to impact proceedings, managing two touches in the opposition box, one of three shots on target, losing possession eight times and being offside twice (as per ESPN).
In a post-game discussion on ESPN Podcasts, Hansen – a former defender – said about Ronaldo’s diminishing pace and penchant to get offside:
“In this World Cup, he has been offside more times than I can remember because he knows he needs to get a quick headstart om the defenders because he doesn’t have the pace, so he’s running offside. And then he ends up in a wide area … because he’s not beaten anybody, he can’t go past anybody, so the only place he has to be is in the penalty box, but even then he’s pretty much invisible.”
Ronaldo and Co. next take on 2018 finalists Croatia in a high-profile Round of 32 clash on Thursday (July 2) in Toronto.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is in good physical condition” – Portugal boss ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup knockouts
Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez hailed the physical conditioning of Cristiano Ronaldo, who has played every minute of every group-stage game at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The oldest captain at this edition, though, couldn’t score off his only shot on target against Colombia – off a free-kick – which meant that the Selecao finished second in their group.
In 90 minutes of action, Ronaldo had two shots blocked, registered 22/27 passes – including 18/21 in the opposition half, and three recoveries and won two ground duels (all stats as per Sofascore at the time of writing).
“Cristiano is our out-and-out striker, the player who makes the key movements inside the penalty area,” said Martinez (as per Athlon Sports). “It’s very important for us to maintain the team’s coordination and timing with those movements. Cristiano is in good physical condition.”
It’s the second FIFA World Cup campaign Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more than once, with his most prolific campaign coming at Russia 2018, where he netted four times, including a hat-trick against Spain.
Edited by Bhargav