Portugal's Ronaldo team is under scrutiny for leaning too hard on Cristiano Ronaldo, even after he delivered a brace in the 5-0 rout of Uzbekistan. The criticism has grown because Portugal drew 1-1 in one match and finished goalless against Colombia in the same group stage.
Cristiano Ronaldo at the centre
Ronaldo's brace against Uzbekistan was the clear outlier in a group stage that otherwise exposed Portugal's problems. Portugal's only win came in that 5-0 result, and the rest of the campaign did not produce enough goals from the wider attack.
That is why the debate has turned to structure rather than finishing. Roberto Martinez had talent around him in Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Joao Neves and Vitinha, but the team still appeared too focused on making Ronaldo the centrepiece. In one visible layer of that problem, Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes carried baggage from Ronaldo's exit in his second Manchester United stint.
Lionel Scaloni's Argentina
Argentina have been built differently under Lionel Scaloni. Lionel Messi remains central, but he does not carry every attacking responsibility for that side, and the coach has spread the work across Lautaro Martinez, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister, Julian Alvarez, Rodrigo De Paul, Emiliano Martinez and Thiago Almada.
The contrast showed at the 2024 Copa America, when Messi was substituted off in the second half because of an injury and Argentina still won 1-0 in extra time through Lautaro Martinez. That is the part Portugal are being measured against: when Messi leaves the pitch, Scaloni's side still has enough structure to keep control.
World Cup pressure
Ronaldo and Messi have defined modern-day football for nearly two decades, but their teams are now judged by different standards. Ronaldo was still Portugal's highest-rated attacking player in the FIFA Power Rankings for the group stage, yet Portugal still struggled collectively, while Argentina's system gives Messi more freedom inside a clearer structure.
Whether Portugal's problem is tactical, relational or age-related is the question left hanging. What the results already show is sharper: one team still looks built around a single finishing point, and the other has turned its captain into one important part of a larger machine.
