Portugal winger Francisco Conceicao insists his teammates felt no pressure to pass to Cristiano Ronaldo following scrutiny of the veteran superstar’s role in their lacklustre World Cup opener.
Critics have questioned whether the 41-year-old Ronaldo’s lack of mobility is having a negative effect on Portugal’s chances in the wake of a pedestrian 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
But Conceicao on Sunday said there was no question of players feeling obliged to pass to Ronaldo if other teammates were in better attacking positions.
“We don’t feel the need to pass him the ball,” Conceicao said. “I pass it to whoever I think is in the best position and unmarked.”
Conceicao said Ronaldo is seen as “just another member of the squad”, which needs “every individual for the collective to function”.
“Cristiano is an example because of his career and the hunger he still possesses at 41 years of age… an example of leadership and the goals he scores,” the Juventus player said during a news conference.
“There is no one like him when it comes to scoring goals… He is here to help, just like any other player.”
Ronaldo huffed and puffed his way through a match in which he was a peripheral figure up front.
His 25 touches were his fewest in a game at a major tournament for Portugal when playing a full match.
The contrast with longtime competitor Lionel Messi was stark, with the 38-year-old having hit a hat-trick a day earlier to give defending champions Argentina a 3-0 win over Algeria.
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Portugal play Uzbekistan in their second Group K match in Houston on Tuesday, desperately looking for three points to get their campaign up and running.
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“No one takes it harder than we do. We felt firsthand that we didn’t do our job in the best possible way,” Conceicao said.
“If things don’t go well, there will be more pressure and more criticism. We want to show our quality and win the next match.”
Following the draw with DR Congo, former France striker Thierry Henry accused Ronaldo of being selfish.
“The team needs to score, not you need to score,” Henry said on Fox.
For the Houston stalemate, opposition midfielder Ngalayel Mukau was asked if they had a plan to contain Ronaldo.
“Not really. We know he’s no longer the same player as before and that he’s older now,” Mukau replied.
“At his age, he can no longer put in the same effort as before, but I have tremendous respect for him.”
Mukau’s assessment was kinder than some of the flak going Ronaldo’s way, and coach Roberto Martinez has not been spared either.
Some pundits accused the Spaniard of being afraid to drop the skipper or even substitute him.
“That’s embarrassing from Martinez,” former Premier League striker Chris Sutton said on the BBC after Martinez kept Ronaldo on and took off midfielder Vitinha in the 83rd minute.
“He’s scared to take him off. He’s not the manager… the game has passed him [Ronaldo] by today.”
Critics say it is not as if Martinez does not have alternatives.
Goncalo Ramos, the Paris Saint-Germain striker who replaced Vitinha, is a ready-made replacement and an out-and-out number nine.
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