Read for 5 minutes28 June 2026 08:45 AM IST
Age has defeated Cristiano Ronaldo. This provided another chilling reminder. Many taps on his shoulder, many memos. If he had not yet realized it, the charms of time and the reconciliation of his fading might, another golden generation of Portugal would wither away in their imperfect name.
Ronaldo is Portugal’s problem, but he is at the center of it.
The worst moment came in stoppage time before half time. Pedro Neto flew alone down the right and was about to cross from the edge of the box. He found none. Not Ronaldo, not his shadow, not even his shadow. He searched. Ronaldo was in the center of the central circle. Neto was waiting for Godot like Vladimir. Colombia swarmed him until Ronaldo arrived and the ball was stolen from Neto’s feet. Ronaldo gritted his teeth in pain. He wasn’t where he should have been. And that would hurt him more than anything else.
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maybe not. What will bother him most is not that he was absent, but how he was absent. He’s still mobile, he still runs faster than others, albeit with a fraction of the explosive pace that has made him the crown prince of counter-attacking teams. But how did he fail to do justice to this move; How he did not anticipate; He did not know how; How his football brain has left him. A few years ago he would have been where he should have been. Neto did not need to wait for a man who did not come. Intellect, as much as muscle, is an aging athlete’s greatest asset. It echoes his great rival Lionel Messi. This echoed his great teammate Luka Modric. He had to be resurrected. Instead, the wingers kept stopping to catch Ronaldo after the initial burst. Portugal’s motivation was lost each time.
Ronaldo reacts after missing a chance during the World Cup Group K match against Colombia at Miami Gardens. (AP Photo/Lynn Sladky)
Portugal came in as favourites, and the goalless draw against both Congo and Colombia could be saved by the travails of their greatest footballer. Juddering center bolt, amazing UPS. The goalless draw against Colombia, which saw many wasted chances and was denied the title by a harsh offside call, was another strong indication that they need a reboot if they are to progress to the round of 16 at the expense of a resurgent Croatia. Whether that reboot comes at Ronaldo’s expense remains to be seen. But he is making a strong case for himself to be dropped.
Immediately after the hydration break, Portugal won a free-kick, 28 yards out, dead center. Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Vitinha hovered around the ball. But once Ronaldo rolled up his sleeves and spread his legs, the world knew who was taking it. He did: a weak shot from a deliberate gap in the wall, straight at the goalkeeper, no power, curve or dip. He faced a pearl against Spain from a similar angle in Russia. memories ghosts the past
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In the 63rd minute, a ball went over his head in the box. He tried to jump but gravity pulled him down. His dry hair blew in the air. He pointed out to Neto that the delivery should have been an inch shorter. Neto turned his face away. Ronaldo’s headers, those sculptural neck leaps, once embodied something. Claudio Ranieri commented: “Ronaldo has done something like this in the NBA; he was in the air for an hour and a half.” There was no time to jump here. He can still suspend himself in the air. He can no longer jump at the right moment.
A skilled disruptor of the offside line, he was repeatedly caught offside. He usually stands in the offside position and moves back to the onside perch at the exact point of delivery. He was always a yard late on Saturdays. Colombia took advantage every time.
There was no shortage of ambition. He attempted a daring bicycle kick on the rebound in the crowded box and landed on his back. He tried to shoot with his left foot. Often, it is dribbled to the nearest defender.
Ronaldo was relieved when the game ended. The shock of Uzbekistan’s victory had disappeared on the night of Miami. Its recent vintage remains: a ghost of the past, still haunting the places it belongs to.