No pressure to pass to Ronaldo, insists Portugal team-mate Conceicao

Portugal’s players do not feel any obligation to pass the ball to Cristiano Ronaldo, Francisco Conceicao insisted ahead of their meeting with Uzbekistan.

Roberto Martinez’s team will look to get their World Cup campaign back on track on Tuesday, having played out a frustrating 1-1 draw with DR Congo in their first Group K game.

In the aftermath of that result, much of the criticism targeting the team has centred on Ronaldo’s role, with many questioning whether the 41-year-old should still be considered an automatic starter.

Ronaldo has now gone 10 consecutive games without scoring a goal at major tournaments for Portugal (World Cup/Euros), the longest run of his international career. 

His last strike in either of the two competitions was against Ghana on matchday one of the 2022 World Cup, from the penalty spot, and his last non-penalty goal in either competition was at Euro 2020, when he netted twice in a 2-2 group-stage draw with France.

Ronaldo had just 25 touches against DR Congo, the fewest of any Portugal player to play the full match. He had two shots worth a game-high 0.65 expected goals (xG) but failed to hit the target with either of them, notably taking one chance off the toes of Bruno Fernandes.

France’s former World Cup-winning striker Thierry Henry suggested after the game that Ronaldo felt a need for him to score, rather than for the team to find the net.

Others have claimed Portugal’s players feel pressure to pass to Ronaldo, but Conceicao insists that is not the case, telling reporters: “We don’t have any obligation or need to pass the ball to him.

“Cristiano is an example because of the hunger he shows every day, as if it were his last session.”

Ronaldo’s 143 goals are the most by any player in men’s international football, with eight of those coming at World Cups, albeit all of those strikes have been in the group stage.

“With his quality for scoring goals, I don’t think there’s anyone like him in that department,” Conceicao added. 

“Speaking for myself, I pass the ball to whoever I think is unmarked at that moment. It’s not like I have time to think about the face of the team-mate next to me, no. 

“I think we do everything by instinct, we do everything in thousandths of a second, there’s no time for that. And of course, Cristiano is here to help, just like any other player in the national team.”

Multiple other Portugal players – including Diogo Dalot and Ruben Dias – have spoken out in defence of Ronaldo since the DR Congo game, and Conceicao still sees the forward as an inspirational figure.

“Cristiano is an example because of what his career has been, because of the hunger he shows every single day, now at 41 years old, the hunger he shows in wanting to win every day, super motivated to train as if it were his last training session,” Conceicao said.

“I think for the new generation, and for all of us, it’s an example, because if he has already conquered so much and continues with that hunger, the hunger we must have to achieve a bit of what he achieved has to be even greater. 

“He is an example because of that, because of his leadership as well, because of the goals he scores. There you have it, he’s one more in the team who is here to help us, and I think we need all individualities for the collective to work.”

Ahead of facing Uzbekistan, Portugal are still assigned a 90% chance of reaching the last 32 by the Opta supercomputer, though their hopes of topping Group K are down to 41%.