Ruben Dias has urged Portugal to block out the mounting criticism directed at the squad and captain Cristiano Ronaldo following their underwhelming 1-1 draw with DR Congo, insisting the noise from outside will have no bearing on their World Cup campaign.
Congo, appearing at their first World Cup in 52 years, held Portugal to a single shot on target despite the Europeans completing 740 passes, prompting widespread criticism of the team’s performance and Ronaldo’s role within it. The 41-year-old’s goal drought at major tournaments has now stretched to 10 games dating back to the 2022 World Cup, a run that has intensified scrutiny on a player still revered as the all-time leading scorer in international football.
Former France striker Thierry Henry was among the most prominent critics, suggesting on Fox that Ronaldo was prioritising personal statistics over collective success. “One thing that’s important: the team needs to score, not you need to score,” Henry said, adding that Ronaldo was getting in the way of teammates who were better placed to finish.
Dias, speaking at Portugal’s training camp in Palm Beach Gardens on 19 June, was having none of it. “The criticism is not significant for us, it’s noise and part of the competition. It always happens if you have a match that doesn’t go well. We’re closing ourselves off from unnecessary criticism.”
He declined to single out Ronaldo for special mention, instead defending his captain’s mental resilience. “Cristiano, of course, is used to dealing with the media pressure we usually face in the club, the national team, world tournaments, European competitions. In this sort of competition, it will never be perfect. This is a competition you can win only if you play well game after game.”
Dias, who was left out of the starting line-up against Congo as he continued his recovery from injury, confirmed he is fit and available for Portugal’s second group match against Uzbekistan on Tuesday. Having faced Congo’s defensive back five in the opener, Portugal could encounter a similar approach from Uzbekistan, and Dias drew on his experience at Manchester City to address the tactical challenge.
“I come from playing most of my club matches against teams that use a back five, so I have a very clear idea about it,” he said. “Respecting positional discipline becomes decisive in matches like these. I believe we have players with enough quality that, by respecting our positions and making the right decisions, we can make the difference.”
