In Final Warm-Up, Cristiano Ronaldo Endures a Nightmare Match

Portugal completed its final dress rehearsal ahead of the 2026 World Cup on Wednesday night with a narrow 2-1 win over Nigeria in Leiria. Despite the victory, as usual the player drawing most of the headlines was captain Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 41-year-old, who is expected to lead Portugal’s attack at his sixth World Cup, produced a worrying display in front of goal and endured a frustrating evening that revived questions about him ahead of the tournament. Leading media outlets around the world criticized the star’s poor showing.

In Spain’s AS, it was written that Ronaldo “had a night he will want to forget,” after once again failing to turn chances into goals, a direct continuation of his performance against Chile. On Goal, the display was described as a “nightmare,” with the site noting that the player had lost his lethal touch and squandered several “golden opportunities.” France24 also criticized him, writing that Ronaldo simply wasted clear chances for his national team. The French network added: “There are those expressing concern that his presence will prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong team from thriving at the World Cup.”

By contrast, the person who rushed to defend Ronaldo was his former teammate Rio Ferdinand: “People need to calm down, it was just a friendly. Judging Cristiano Ronaldo on the basis of a game like this is simply ridiculous. The games that really matter are the ones played on the biggest stage. When the World Cup starts, you’ll see a completely different Ronaldo. Right now, everyone needs to lower the temperature and stop overreacting.”

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez explained after the match why he substituted all the outfield players at halftime except Ronaldo, who remained on the pitch until the 63rd minute: “The individual plan for each player is a combination of all the information we have on him and what he is capable of giving. It’s not about 90 minutes, but about what you bring into those minutes. The monitoring includes data on their match load at their clubs, and that is what we use to build the plans.”

World Cup 2026