At 41 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo is a shadow of the once brilliant player he was. Everyone can see it, except the great man himself. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is now focused on chasing the stupendous milestone of 1,000 career goals, which would be yet another achievement for a footballer obsessed with breaking personal records in a team sport. The 2026 World Cup marks yet another milestone achievement – the sixth time he has played in the tournament. It is a lot of football, and at the highest level, yet Father Time waits for no one, not even someone as rich and famous as Ronaldo.

Portugal’s manager Roberto Martinez must take a fair share of the blame. Why does he persist in picking Ronaldo?

Portugal’s manager Roberto Martinez must take a fair share of the blame. Why does he persist in picking Ronaldo?

This once supreme athlete is now a drag on the Portugal team. Horrible to think it but true enough. Yes, the statistics will record that Ronaldo scored in Portugal’s latest match: a 2-1 win against Croatia. But Ronaldo’s goal came from the penalty spot. Other than that, he huffed and puffed his way through the match, contributing very little of........

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