A forgettable World Cup blip in Ronaldo’s unforgettable career

Even in his final moments in a Portugal shirt at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo was the cynosure of all eyes. The footballer from Madeira has lived his life in the spotlight for two decades, and would have it no other way in his swansong at the international stage. But for the entirety of the marquee event in the United States, Canada and Mexico, a discomfiting question was at the core of the gaze trained on him: was the forward, now 41 years old and playing his club football for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, impeding Portugal’s chances by leading the line?