Former Chelsea player, Craig Burley, has responded to the newly appointed Portugal manager, Jorge Jesus, who stated that superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo remains significant for the national team.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner started and participated in all but nine minutes of Portugal’s 2026 campaign.
He scored two goals against tournament newcomers Uzbekistan and converted a penalty in the Round of 32 against Croatia.
The iconic forward faced considerable criticism for his lack of movement, which limited the Selecao das Quinas’ attacking options. He was largely ineffective in the 1-0 defeat to Spain in the Round of 16, marking his final appearance in the tournament.
Following the match, Portugal’s head coach Roberto Martinez announced his resignation, with Jesus appointed as his replacement.
In one of his initial press conferences as manager, he declared that Ronaldo ‘will never be a problem for the national team’.
In the ESPN FC studio, Burley criticized Jesus’ remarks. The 54-year-old, who made 135 appearances for Chelsea from 1990 to 1997, stated, “Portugal must move on from this. I also believe Ronaldo should voluntarily step away from the team. Someone needs to tell him no (regarding his continued participation with Portugal). As a nation, you need to progress.
“We all mentioned, leading up to this World Cup, for months, that Portugal, despite having a very talented squad, would not be able to compete effectively for the World Cup title with a 41-year-old leading the attack.
“One only needed to examine the history of recent major tournaments to understand that he would face challenges. It is foolish to believe that if you have struggled in the last two or three tournaments, you will perform better six or seven years later against younger, faster, fitter defenders. It is simply absurd. He is an incredible player, an extraordinary athlete, and I have enjoyed watching him play, but his time at this level has come to an end.”
With 146 goals in 233 appearances for Portugal, Ronaldo holds the record for the most goals scored and the highest number of caps in the history of international football.
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