A legend John Barnes believes that the reliance on Cristiano Ronaldo could prevent Portugal from maximizing the potential of their prime stars at the 2026 World Cup.
In an interview with talkSPORT, the Liverpool legend made a controversial statement, suggesting that CR7 could become a barrier to Portugal’s collective strength.
“I don’t think Ronaldo will have as much of an impact over 90 minutes as he used to. We need to face that reality,” Barnes said. According to him, the issue does not lie in his reputation or what Ronaldo has achieved in his career. The concern is that the whole team still revolves around a player who is no longer at the peak of his form.
“Portugal has a lot of good players. But when everything is geared towards Ronaldo just because he is Cristiano Ronaldo, while he is no longer the Cristiano Ronaldo of the past, you won’t see the best versions of Bruno Fernandes or the other players,” Barnes stated.
These remarks come in the context of Portugal possessing one of the highest-quality squads at the 2026 World Cup. Besides Bruno Fernandes, this collective also features a series of stars in top form such as Vitinha, Joao Neves, Nuno Mendes, and Goncalo Ramos. Many of them have just won the Champions League with PSG.
Despite mixed opinions, under Martinez, Ronaldo remains an irreplaceable factor. He contributed to helping Portugal win the 2025 Nations League and continues to be given a pivotal role in the attack.
