Cristiano Ronaldo Slammed as ‘Dead Weight' After Self-Serving World Cup Effort

Cristiano Ronaldo has faced heavy criticism since Portugal‘s World Cup opener against DR Congo, which finished in a disappointing 1-1 draw.

A French sports radio personality torched the Portuguese star after the match, referring to him and head coach Roberto Martínez as “dead weight.”

“First, the coach who isn’t good,” said Daniel Riolo, translated from French, on After Foot. “Then Cristiano Ronaldo who is a pain, unfortunately.”

Riolo lamented Ronaldo for his massive ego, which Riolo believes has prevented Ronaldo from accepting that his skills have declined. The Portuguese striker is 41 years old, no where near the spring chicken he was upon making his World Cup debut at the 2006 tournament in Germany.

“He thinks he hasn’t aged,” said Riolo. “And Portugal hasn’t built the team according to his current weaknesses.”

He added, “Crisitano Ronaldo is a plague on his team. Portugal played with 10 men and a post up front.”

More: Cristiano Ronaldo Urged to ‘Step Down' After Selfish Performance at World Cup

Those scathing remarks came after Ronaldo performed selfishly against DR Congo, which was making its debut at the World Cup. There were a few opportunities near the goal area that, rather than leave them for his teammates, who were in better position to convert the scoring chances, Ronaldo decided to attempt to force a goal for himself.

His self-centered actions were likely in an effort to extend his all-time record of scoring in more different World Cups than any player in history. Ronaldo has scored in five different tournaments throughout his career and is clearly hoping to push that to six during this year’s event.

However, if he continues along the same road he traveled in his team’s first game, their appearance at the 2026 World Cup won’t last long enough for him to accomplish that feat. Ronaldo has now gone 10 consecutive major tournament games without scoring for Portugal, according to OptaJoe, a stretch that has included 33 shots, only 11 of which have reached their target.

Portugal faces off with Uzbekistan on Tuesday and may need a victory if they hope to keep pace in Group K, currently led by Colombia, which won 3-1 over the Uzbeks in the country’s World Cup debut.

“

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 12:45 PM.