Benfica manager José Mourinho has come to the defense of one of his greatest former players, Cristiano Ronaldo, suggesting that the Portugal national team looks nothing more than ordinary in his absence.
Portugal is one of the 42 nations to have booked its place at this summer’s World Cup, with Ronaldo scoring five times in qualifying.
He’s earned a world-record 226 caps for his country and scored a whopping 143 times, remaining productive in front of goal well into his twilight. Still, some have wondered whether it’s time for manager Roberto Martínez to move past Ronaldo.
Assuming he features in North America this summer, Ronaldo will become the fourth-oldest player in World Cup history at age 41. Yet Mourinho still backs the five-time Ballon d’Or winner as the key to the Seleção das Quinas’ success.
Mourinho Believes Ronaldo is Still Crucial for Portugal
One man who certainly believes Martínez can ill-afford to discard the all-time great heading into the World Cup is Mourinho, who caught his compatriot at his apex when he was in charge of Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013.
“Take Cristiano Ronaldo out of the picture and Portugal look like any run-of-the-mill team,” he commented after Mexico held the Iberians to a dull, goalless stalemate in their first outing of 2026.
“People keep asking us not to call him up. Well, he didn’t play, and you saw the result. No threat, no fear from the opposition. Just a team being put under pressure by Mexico.
“When Ronaldo is on the pitch, the opposition think twice. Without him, they don’t think at all,” Mourinho added.
The 41-year-old is currently nursing a muscle injury and not available for the national team this month. In his place, Martínez opted for Paris Saint-Germain’s Gonçalo Ramos to lead Portugal’s line, but he was replaced before the hour-mark by Paulinho, a 33-year-old striker with just four international caps.
A Ronaldo-less Portugal is expected to have more joy against the USMNT on Tuesday evening, with Mauricio Pochettino’s side reeling from their second-half collapse against Belgium in an eventual 5–2 defeat.
Martínez Expects Ronaldo to Play at World Cup
While Ronaldo is currently out through injury, Portugal manager Martínez is confident the 41-year-old will commit to the national team this summer and play at his sixth World Cup.
He echoed Mourinho’s belief that Ronaldo remains a mightily influential figure for his team: “He is our captain and is very important, very influential. He still plays a fundamental role as captain. The way he finishes, his mentality, he inspires. I don’t know when the end will come.
“He’s not a 41-year-old player; he’s a player who tries to improve every day. He’s a stimulus off the pitch and on the pitch, a striker who has scored 25 goals in the last 30 games,” Martínez noted.
Ronaldo risked being suspended for Portugal’s opening two games of the tournament after he received a red card for violent conduct against the Republic of Ireland last November.
However, FIFA unsurprisingly decided to defer the final two games of his ban for a one-year probation period, which means he’ll be available for their group stage fixtures against Jamaica or the DR Congo and Uzbekistan.
