Worst on the pitch? The alarming Cristiano Ronaldo numbers from Portugal's World Cup stumble

17.06.26 FT World Cup

Portugal

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:

DR Congo

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On Wednesday 17 Jun Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal began their World Cup 2026 journey in North America with a frustrating 1-1 draw against DR Congo.

Entering his record equaling sixth World Cup to tie his eternal rival Lionel Messi for the most tournament appearances in history, expectations were massive for the veteran forward.

However, the tournament favorites were held to a shock stalemate by a resilient African side making their first appearance under the DR Congo banner since their 1974 debut as Zaire. Rather than driving his team to victory, the Portuguese captain cut a largely isolated figure on the pitch.

Dismal analytics

The statistical breakdown of the match paints a grim picture of the forward's attacking influence. According to the football analytics platform SofaScore, Ronaldo was handed a dismal 6.2 match rating.

This made him the joint-worst performer for his country alongside Bernardo Silva. Across both teams, only Congolese goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi registered a lower score with a 6.0 rating.

Over the entire 90 minutes, the 41 year old managed just 24 touches of the ball. He failed to test the keeper entirely sending his only 2 shots off target. While he maintained a respectable passing accuracy with 19 completions out of 21 attempts, he lost possession three times and failed to create any clear-cut chances.

Khaled Hegazy |

Editorar, en

Journaliste sportif spécialisé dans la couverture du football et la création de contenu numérique, alliant expérience éditoriale et expertise des médias sociaux.

Related teams and leagues

Portugal

DR Congo

World Cup