Thierry Henry has changed his stance on Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portugal captain delivered a standout performance in the 5-0 win over Uzbekistan. The former France striker praised Ronaldo’s team-first approach and highlighted a key moment that showed exactly the attitude he wanted to see from the veteran forward.
Henry had been among Ronaldo’s critics after Portugal’s opening 1-1 draw with DR Congo. Speaking on Fox Sports, he suggested Ronaldo’s movement had blocked a potential chance for Bruno Fernandes and put personal ambition ahead of the team.
“The team needs to score, not you need to score,” Henry had said after that match.
But Ronaldo answered those doubts in Houston on June 23.
In the 17th minute, Portugal won a free kick just outside the penalty area. Ronaldo stood over the ball in his familiar position and drew the attention of the entire Uzbekistan wall and goalkeeper. Instead of taking the shot himself, he acted as a decoy while Nuno Mendes ran across and fired a low effort into the corner.
Henry was full of praise for the move.
“I love what he did at the free kick. He surprised everybody. It’s a team spirit guy, it’s how you lead your team and you share. Well done. It’s what I like to see,” Henry said on Fox Sports.
He also compared Ronaldo’s movement to former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.
“Look at him walking, Van Nistelrooy used to do that at Man United, to make sure when the ball comes you’re in front of everyone.”
Henry also pointed to Ronaldo’s opening goal as another example of improvement. He noted that the Portuguese star stayed onside and attacked the near post instead of drifting into an offside position as he had done against DR Congo.
“It’s what happens when you play like that,” Henry said. “He attacks the first post and scores. Well done.”
Ronaldo went on to score twice in the match. The brace took his World Cup tally to 10 goals and made him the first player in history to score in six different World Cup tournaments.
Portugal now have four points in Group K and are closing in on a place in the knockout stage.
