Thierry Henri criticized Cristiano Ronaldo after Portugal managed only a 1-1 draw against Congo in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup.
On 18 June 2026 GMT+7, after Portugal's national team drew 1-1 with Congo in their opening game of Group K at the 2026 World Cup.
Portugal had only seven shots, with just one on target; many criticized their attack as ineffective, saying they should have done better with their chances.
In this match, Ronaldo was among the most criticized players on Portugal. His stats for 90 minutes were zero goals, zero assists, three shots, zero shots on target, zero created chances, zero tackles, zero won ground duels, and three lost possessions.
Thierry Henri, former French national team striker, commented on Ronaldo: "There is one very important thing."
"The team must be the one to score goals; it doesn't have to be you scoring alone."
Henri also pointed out a moment in the second half when Portugal was trying to find a winning goal but failed. Francisco Conceição dribbled into the penalty area, but instead of Ronaldo making a run to the far post to receive a cross and create space for Bruno Fernandes behind him, the 41-year-old stayed in his original position and took a weak, off-target shot.
"Because he wanted to score himself, he ended up overlapping Bruno Fernandes's path," Thierry Henri said with a sigh.
"This made it easier for the defenders to handle."