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3 min readJul 4, 2026 09:49 PM IST
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (7) celebrates after scoring their opening goal during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Portugal and Croatia in Toronto, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Cristiano Ronaldo may have found the net against Croatia in Portugal’s Round of 32 match but former Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic said that the team cannot win anything with a 41-year-old leading the attack. Ronaldo has played 4 matches in the World Cup thus far and scored 3 goals with his latest effort coming from the penalty spot.
“Portugal fans could have expected what’s happening. You can’t expect to win anything in 2026 with a 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo leading the attack. Especially since Ramos is on the bench, having come on and scored,” Ibrahimovic said as per Goal.com.
“This isn’t ‘legendary leadership.’ It’s the ego that’s holding the team hostage. Ronaldo has lost his touch and mobility. Now he’s just in the box… At this point, his aura is supporting him more than his legs. Continuing to start him is pure nostalgia-driven madness,” he added.
At 41, Ronaldo will get another match in a Portugal uniform, thanks to a penalty he scored, a stoppage time header by Goncalo Ramos, and a VAR ruling the Croatia team still doesn’t understand. Ramos headed in the winner as Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in a wild finish that also included a Croatian goal disallowed for offside just before the final whistle in a World Cup round of 32 match on Thursday night.
The game featured a matchup of 40-somethings — Ronaldo, in his sixth World Cup, and Croatia’s Luka Modrić, making his fifth bid for a tournament title.
Ronaldo tied things up in the 68th minute on a penalty kick that gave the megastar his first knockout stage goal at the World Cup before being subbed out in the 81st minute.
“I never felt any of that (fear),” he said. “Yes, nervous. But as always, you have to be very positive for things to go well.”
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Still, it was Ramos who gave Portugal the victory and a berth in the round of 16.
“I love that type of moment, I love that type of games,” he said. “I want to play every game like that.” Portugal moves on to face Spain on Monday.
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