Fernando Santos’ decision to leave out Cristiano Ronaldo from the starting XI made the headlines with Portugal’s 6-1 win over Switzerland in the Round of 16 of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
While it seemed initially that a disciplinary reason may have led to Ronaldo’s relegation to the bench, Santos later clarified that wasn’t the case. If so, Portugal may have finally broken free of the Ronaldo shackle as it heads into the quarterfinals against Morocco.
For a better part of well over the last decade, Ronaldo has been the focal point of Portugal’s attack with the football geared towards getting the best out of him. And during the times, Ronaldo plays as the cental striker, he often tends to drop deep from his position in search of the ball and disrupting the rhythm in possession.
Ronaldo is the biggest name to come out of Portugal football. He holds the record for most goals (118) in men’s international football and most caps (195) for the Portuguese national team.
But is A Selecao a better team without Ronaldo? Recent performances and numbers stack up heavily against the inclusion of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
In the three matches Ronaldo started in the group stages, he scored only once, which came from the penalty spot. He also hasn’t scored in seven knockout matches at the World Cup.
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In Ronaldo’s absence, 21-year-old striker Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick against Switzerland and set up a goal in a display of classic centre-forward play of pace, power and precisission in what was his first senior start. Ramos’ inclusion also opened up a new dimension to the Portuguese attack with Bruno Fernandes becoming central to its fortunes.
Joao Felix, who was touted as the next big thing in Portuguese football, looked to break free of the shackles and came into his own. In the Switzerland win, Felix attempted 12 line-breaking passes, two more than what he managed in the wins over Ghana and Uruguay. Perhaps, the biggest tangible impact to come out of Ronaldo’s exclusion from the XI will be the growing influence of the 23-year-old Felix in a Portugal shirt.
Another obvious aspect of the 37-year-old Ronaldo’s game is his waning qualities in speed, dribbling and technique. He had modelled his game in the last few years as a clinical finisher but his numbers in the last 12 months have dwindled too.
His expected non-penalty goals (xG) per 90 minutes in the last year has been 0.52, while Poland’s Robert Lewandowski, aged 34, is ranked highest with a value of 0.84. Ronaldo’s dribbling number per 90 is 0.62, while a 35-year-old Lionel Messi stands on top with 3.23.
And even coming into the World Cup, Ronaldo has scored just two goals in the nine Portugal matches since October 2021.
His form has regressed in club football too. For Manchester United this season, he has scored just once in the league in 520 minutes as he has struggled to justify his place under new boss Erik Ten Hag. A public falling out with Ten Hag and an explosive interview, where he criticised the club last week led to his contract being terminated by United.
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One can make an argument that France won the World Cup four years ago when starting Olivier Giroud up front in all matches without even hitting the target once in 13 attempts. But Didier Deschamps considered Giroud vital to the team’s style because of his selflessness in creating space for the attackers behind him and his tireless work-rate.
Giroud, at 36, remains the starting No. 9 in Deschamps’ plans in Qatar in the absence of Karim Benzema. The Frenchman has played 27 fewer minutes than Ronaldo but has made 123 sprints to Ronaldo’s 126 as he tends to conserve his energy for runs in behind the defence.
Ronaldo still retains the desire to score goals, and coach Santos expects to keep him fresh for the second halves as Portugal remains in the hunt for a first World Cup title.
Before his exit from Manchester United, Ronaldo provided glimpses of what life off the bench would be like. Against Arsenal in the Premier League in September, a fresh Ronaldo came in as a substitute and had an impact with his work-rate in front, which played a part in the team’s two goals to secure a 3-1 win.
After a glittering career spanning nearly two decades, a second act may not be what he envisaged coming into this World Cup. But for a squad packed with several match-winners, in their prime, stepping out of the spotlight might serve his interests of getting his hands on an elusive World Cup crown.
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