Paul Scholes on Cristiano Ronaldo's Role in Portugal's Squad
Paul Scholes believes Cristiano Ronaldo has become a “problem” for Portugal, insisting it is wrong that the 41-year-old is still leading the line for his country.
Ronaldo, who has now matched Lionel Messi by appearing at six World Cups, captained Portugal in their opening group game against DR Congo in Houston on Wednesday. It was supposed to be a gentle first step for one of the tournament favourites. It turned into an awkward night that sharpened an old debate.
Portugal, Nations League champions in 2025 and loaded with talent across the pitch, are widely tipped to challenge France, Spain, England and holders Argentina for the trophy. They started like a side that believed it. Joao Neves struck in the sixth minute, an early goal that should have set the tone and allowed Roberto Martinez’s team to squeeze the life out of the contest.
They never did.
Portugal controlled the ball, dictated territory, and yet lacked bite. The warning signs were there as attack after attack broke down without incision. Then came the punch in the gut. Just before half-time, Newcastle forward Yoane Wissa punished them with an equaliser against the run of play. From there, the game drifted away from Portugal, who failed to find a winner and had to settle for a draw that felt far heavier than a single dropped point.
Ronaldo’s evening captured the mood. No chances created. No shots. No successful dribbles. Not a single duel won in a flat, lifeless first half from the captain. For a player who has built a career on bending games to his will, it was a performance that barely left a fingerprint.
Martinez, though, refused to pull him. As the minutes ticked by, Pedro Neto went off. Vitinha went off. Bernardo Silva, Tomas Araujo, Nuno Mendes – all withdrawn. Ronaldo stayed, rooted to the centre-forward role until the final whistle.
From the outside, it looked like a manager trapped by the weight of a legend. Scholes, speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, suggested that is exactly what is happening.
“I believe it’s challenging for the manager,” the former England and Manchester United midfielder said. He revealed he had already raised the issue directly with Martinez during a Stick to Football recording. “I inquired, ‘Is he a problem for you?’, as I feel he is somewhat of a concern.”
Scholes did not circle the subject. He went straight to Ronaldo’s age.
“At 41 years of age… I believe there is only one position on the field where a player of that age should be starting, and that is as a goalkeeper, in my opinion.”
He acknowledged the obvious: Ronaldo will still score goals, especially in a team that dominates possession like this Portugal side. The issue, he argued, comes when the game breaks open.
“Once there’s a game where it has to be transition… and there will be games like that. His movement at 41 years of age…” Scholes left the rest hanging. The implication was clear. A high-intensity, end-to-end contest exposes what Ronaldo can no longer do.
Scholes knows the man as well as most. He shared a dressing room with Ronaldo for six years at Old Trafford, watched him evolve from raw winger to ruthless match-winner. That makes his verdict all the more stark. He says he “feels sorry” for Martinez and believes the five-time Ballon d’Or winner now makes more sense as a weapon off the bench, not the centrepiece.
“The trouble with Portugal is they haven’t really got an outstanding centre-forward anyway, have they? You’ve got to have somebody who runs,” Scholes said. In his view, the solution is still blunt but necessary.
“For me, he has to be a player for the last 15 minutes. For a 40 or 41-year-old to be playing centre-forward, I just don’t get it.
“You might get away with it at centre-half, you might do in a team that keeps the ball and you probably get away with it as a goalkeeper, but as a centre-forward at 41… it’s not right.”
To underline the point, Scholes reached for another modern great.
“We saw it with Croatia and Luka Modric last night at 40 years old. Central midfield at 40…” Again, the sentence trailed off. The message didn’t need completing. Even icons are not immune to time when the game demands constant running.
There is another layer to all of this: ego and rivalry. Scholes is convinced the numbers being posted elsewhere will be gnawing at Ronaldo.
“Cristiano will be so pissed off because Lionel Messi got a hat-trick, Kylian Mbappe got two… it will be killing him.”
That competitive fire helped build Ronaldo’s extraordinary career. It may now be complicating Portugal’s present. Martinez continues to back his captain in public, leaning on the simplest argument of all.
“I feel sorry for Martinez because he’s trying to embrace it and he’s saying, ‘No, I’ve got the best goalscorer in the world’, but deep down he must know that’s hurting his team,” Scholes concluded.
Portugal’s campaign has only just begun, but the tension is already clear: one of the most gifted squads on the planet, tethered to a 41-year-old centre-forward who still commands the stage. At some point, Martinez will have to decide whether sentiment and status can keep trumping the hard running this tournament demands.
