Portugal's Francisco Conceicao Shuts Down Cristiano Ronaldo Narrative

Cristiano Ronaldo has been considered an all-time footballer for well over a decade, but he’s getting a refresher course on “heavy is the head that wears the crown” at the 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup.

Ronaldo, 41, and Argentina’s Lionel Messi, 38, are appearing in their sixth World Cup this summer - the only two men to accomplish that feat. It should be a cherry on top to still be able to watch them play, but that’s sadly not how it works when you’re in the GOAT conversation.

And it’s definitely not how it works when you look like Portugal did last week.

Ronaldo and Portugal slogged to a 1-1 draw with Congo DR on June 17, and Ronaldo shouldered the blame for holding an extremely talented Portuguese side back. There were calls for Ronaldo’s benching, and even the great Thierry Henry called him out for a selfish approach.

Ronaldo fans, or Instagram accounts claiming to be Ronaldo fans, flooded Portugal players’ comments sections with demands to pass the ball to Ronaldo and other inappropriate claims.

Portugal winger Francisco Conceicao is not having any of it.

“We don’t have any obligation or need to pass the ball to him,” Conceicao said, per ESPN. “Cristiano is an example because of the hunger he shows every day, as if it were his last session.”

Separately, he added, “For example, speaking for myself, I pass the ball to whoever I think is better unmarked at that moment. It’s not like I have time to think about who’s […] what’s the face of the teammate next to me, no. I think we do everything by instinct, we do everything […] it’s thousandths of a second, there’s no time for that. And of course, Cristiano is here to help, just like any other player in the national team.”

Actions speak louder than words, so we’ll see if Portugal look more in sync against Uzbekistan at NRG Stadium in Houston on Tuesday, June 23. Group K is still ripe for the taking.

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This story was originally published June 21, 2026 at 10:39 PM.