Henry points out Cristiano Ronaldo's "selfishness" in World Cup game
World champion with France in 1998, Thierry Henry criticized Cristiano Ronaldo after Portugal drew 1-1 with the Democratic Republic of Congo. The match was played this Wednesday (17), in the first round of Group K of the World Cup.
While appearing on a North American broadcaster, the former striker analyzed the Portuguese star's performance and stated that the number 7 has demonstrated behavior that is excessively focused on scoring goals. Henry stated: "He's playing like a 9, but he's never been a 9 and he's not acting like a 9. The team needs to score, it's not you who needs to score."
In the duel against the African team, Cristiano Ronaldo had a discreet participation. The Portuguese star barely appeared in Portugal's offensive actions and his main opportunity was a directionless finish in the second half.
Cristiano Ronaldo's goal drought
In addition, the star extended his goal drought in World Cups. With this Wednesday's match, Cristiano reached five consecutive games without finding the net in the tournament.
The Portuguese's last goal in the World Cup was in Portugal's debut in the 2022 World Cup, in the 3-2 victory over Ghana. Since then, he has missed out on matches against Uruguay, South Korea, Switzerland and Morocco, in addition to the duel against the Democratic Republic of Congo in this edition.
The star's career in World Cups
Cristiano Ronaldo now has 23 World Cup appearances, spread across six editions of the tournament. In total, there are eight goals scored and two assists for the Portuguese team.
The tendency is for the 2026 World Cup to be the last in the striker's career, who is still looking to win the World Cup with Portugal for the first time.
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Source: CNN