Former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan has delivered a blunt critique of Cristiano Ronaldo, claiming the legendary forward is currently a hindrance to Portugal’s World Cup ambitions.
Forlan: Ronaldo the bottleneck on Portugal’s attack
Speaking on ESPN’s La Casa del Kun program, former Manchester United team-mate and 2010 World Cup Golden Ball winner Forlan offered a striker’s perspective on the matter, suggesting that Ronaldo’s static nature makes life far too easy for opposition defenders. While the veteran forward remains a predatory threat in the box, his lack of mobility prevents Portugal from stretching the pitch and creating space for their other creative talents.
“I’m speaking as a striker, the problem is that Cristiano is in the center, he is who he is, he is there as a No.9, and he stays there to take advantage of the goal because he no longer goes out to look for the ball, but he ends up conditioning Portugal,” Forlan explained. “It’s the typical situation where we used to say, ‘I’m staying here because I’m close to the goal to score,’ but you don’t understand that you end up hurting your team because both center backs stay there, you don’t move. The center backs stay put, one becomes a reference point and the other is left out. You have no one who can get to you because you start closing down that space.”
