Portuguese media turn on Ronaldo after World Cup exit: ‘Enough is Enough’

Cristiano Ronaldo’s sixth and likely final World Cup campaign ended in tears on Monday night as Portugal crashed out in the round of 16 with a 1-0 defeat to Spain. The loss has triggered a wave of ferocious criticism from the Portuguese press, with leading sports daily A Bola publishing a scathing editorial calling on the 41-year-old captain to step aside permanently.

‘We Don’t Want to Kill You, But Enough Is Enough’

In an opinion piece headlined “Cristiano Ronaldo: we don’t want to ‘kill’ you, but enough is enough,” columnist Francisco Vaz de Miranda delivered one of the most direct attacks on the national team icon in recent memory.

“It is absolutely necessary to bring an end to the captaincy era, which has lasted far longer than it should have,” de Miranda wrote. “If change is needed on the bench, it’s just as necessary on the pitch. The time has come for Cristiano Ronaldo to step aside because, as we have already seen, his ego does not allow him to accept a substitute role for a player who, nowadays, delivers incomparable performances.”

The columnist reserved particular criticism for head coach Roberto Martínez’s decision to leave in-form striker Gonçalo Ramos on the bench against Spain—a choice de Miranda described as “the icing on the cake of Roberto Martínez’s circus of horrors”. Ramos, who averages a goal or assist every 37 minutes at the tournament, was omitted even as Portugal found themselves repeatedly pushed back by the Spanish in the second half.

Martínez: A ‘Diplomat’ While the House Burned

De Miranda did not spare the now-former manager, whom he characterized as a “diplomat chosen by the Portuguese Football Federation to avoid making waves and to smile while the house burned”. The columnist argued that Martínez was appointed precisely to maintain internal harmony rather than to make difficult tactical decisions—an “obsession with not wanting to disrupt the status quo of CR7 and Bruno Fernandes” that ultimately left Portugal in tears.

The editorial also took aim at the Federation itself, accusing it of hubris. “The boastfulness and arrogance of the Portuguese Football Federation filled newspaper pages and fuelled the enthusiasm of millions of Portuguese in recent years,” de Miranda wrote. “This World Cup was ours, this World Cup was Portugal’s day. Ronaldo was going to silence everyone who had wanted to kill him for 23 years.”

A Campaign of Disappointment

According to A Bola’s analysis, Portugal’s World Cup campaign was marked by two “absolutely disappointing” performances—against the Democratic Republic of Congo and Colombia. Despite an abundance of individual quality throughout the squad, the team never managed to function as a cohesive unit.

The statistics make for uncomfortable reading for Ronaldo’s defenders. The 41-year-old started all five of Portugal’s matches and was substituted only once, late in the previous round against Croatia. Against Spain, he reportedly touched the ball just 19 times in 96 minutes and offered minimal defensive contribution, frequently lingering in offside positions. Former England striker Wayne Rooney, commentating for the BBC, was brutal in his assessment: “He’s waddling around the field like a grandad—that’s why Portugal are out. Cristiano Ronaldo does nothing; he did nothing.”

‘What Could This World Cup Have Been?’

Perhaps the most damning passage of de Miranda’s column posed a question that will haunt Portuguese fans for years to come:

“What could this World Cup have been for us if there hadn’t been an unhealthy obligation to keep Cristiano Ronaldo on the pitch for all 90 minutes? We will never know—and not even Donald Trump could reverse this elimination.”

The columnist concluded by questioning the authenticity of Ronaldo’s emotional response to the defeat: “How many of your tears and cries, Cristiano, were truly for Portugal?”—a pointed suggestion that the veteran superstar may have been mourning his own World Cup legacy rather than the nation’s elimination.

Ronaldo’s Response

For his part, Ronaldo struck a defiant tone in the mixed zone after the match. “I am sad to leave the World Cup this way, but as I said yesterday in the press conference, I gave my maximum and I leave with a clear conscience,” he said. “This was probably my last World Cup. Now I will take time to reflect and see my family. I will not make a hasty decision.”

He also pushed back against his critics, reminding them of his achievements: “Before Cristiano, Portugal hadn’t won a single title. I’ve won three with Portugal. The most important title I’ve won was the 2016 European Championship—to me, it’s just as valuable as a World Cup.”

A Nation Turns the Page

The Portuguese media landscape has been unanimous in its verdict. Record’s front page read “He’s finished” alongside an image of Ronaldo in tears. O Jogo declared “See you at home,” while Correio da Manhã lamented: “The dream faded away, and it didn’t have to be this way.”

With Martínez having resigned in the aftermath of the defeat and Jorge Jesus reportedly set to take over, the question now is whether Ronaldo will accept a diminished role—or whether he will bring down the curtain on one of the most extraordinary international careers in football history. The Portuguese press has made its position clear: the captain’s era, they insist, must end now.