Legendary French forward Thierry Henry pulled no punches with his scathing assessment of Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo and his role in Wednesday’s World Cup 1-1 draw with DR Congo.
Portugal took an early lead through Joao Neves in Houston but failed to build upon the midfielder’s sixth-minute header.
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Ronaldo failed to hit the target as Portugal struggled to break DR Congo downCredit: Getty
As such, DR Congo were level shortly before the break as an unmarked Yoane Wissa headed Arthur Masuaku’s cross past Diogo Costa.
Neves’ goal was Portugal’s only shot on target in a match they dominated but failed to grab by the scruff of the neck.
And Ronaldo bore the brunt of Portugal’s criticism following another sub-par showing from the 41-year-old.
Portugal’s all-time goalscorer managed three shots in total, but touched the ball just 25 times, a record low for the forward in a major tournament match where he played the full 90 minutes.
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Following the Group K stalemate Henry launched a brutal takedown of the Al-Nassr hitman, who is looking to crack the 1000-goal milestone before calling time on his career.
“One thing that’s important, people, please at home: the team needs to score, not you need to score,” Henry said on Fox News as the former Arsenal and France star suggested that Ronaldo’s movement proved a hindrance rather than a help.
Henry even went into detail over a second-half sequence involving Joao Cancelo and Bruno Fernandes that ultimately cost Portugal a second goal.
The 48-year-old added that Ronaldo’s presence crowded out his teammates as Portugal sought to break down a resolute DR Congo defence.
“So, obviously, we’re going to see here Portugal being on the ball, Cancelo is going to receive the ball,” Henry illustrated.
“Cristiano Ronaldo has been in this situation multiple times. If you make that run here, you – you make the defender take a decision to crash the six-yard box.
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Henry wasn’t impressed with Ronaldo’s performance against DR Congo
“But because he wants to score, he goes into the path of Bruno Fernandes. If he goes into that six-yard box, you’ve been in that situation, I’ll see – you would have had to follow him, follow him, and then he would have been a tap-in for Bruno Fernandes.
“But because he wants to score, he goes into the path of the back pass. You see both players, and it’s easier for you to defend.”
Henry also felt that his teammates were shocked by the lack of cohesion in the squad, continuing: “And that’s my thing: the team needs to score, not you.
“You saw the reaction of Bruno Fernandes behind, going like: ‘Let it roll, make a run, create space, so I can tap it in.’ And that’s my thing,”
Portugal will hope to bounce back from the disappointing draw with DR Congo when they take on Uzbekistan on matchday two.
The World Cup debutants fell to a 3-1 defeat to Colombia in the early hours of Thursday morning (UK time).
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Ronaldo failed to add to his World Cup tally on WednesdaytalkSPORT verdict: ‘He offered nothing’
Tony Cascarino, who led the line for Republic of Ireland at two World Cups, covered Portugal vs Congo for talkSPORT and tore into Ronaldo at full-time.
Speaking live on talkSPORT 2’s live coverage, the former striker said: “He [Ronaldo] was really off it. It looks like time has caught up with him.
“He hasn’t got the pace. He’s not even got the energy to pick up the ball.
“I remember Ronaldo as that winger who got the ball and drove at people. OK, he’s aged, he’s not that type of player anymore, but he offered nothing to the Portuguese team.
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“I can’t believe Martinez kept him on. I’m thinking, ‘This is your job – you’ve got to take people off’.
“If that’s the decision that improves the team and gives the best chance of winning, you’ve got to make it as a manager.”
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Despite still being an incredible athlete, Cascarino says Ronaldo’s age is catching up to him on the football pitchCredit: Getty
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