Paul Scholes: Cristiano Ronaldo's Role at 41 is a Concern for Portugal
Paul Scholes believes Cristiano Ronaldo has drifted from icon to issue for Portugal, arguing that a 41-year-old should not be leading the line at a World Cup.
Ronaldo, who has now matched Lionel Messi by appearing at six World Cups, captained Portugal in their opening group game against DR Congo in Houston on Wednesday. It should have been another landmark night. Instead, it fuelled a debate his former Manchester United team-mate has been circling for some time.
A flat night for a giant
Portugal, crowned Nations League champions in 2025 and widely tipped as serious contenders alongside France, Spain, England and holders Argentina, started like a side ready to live up to the billing. Joao Neves struck in the sixth minute, an early goal that seemed to clear the stage for a comfortable win.
They never took control of the script.
Roberto Martinez’s side dominated the ball but lacked edge. Newcastle forward Yoane Wissa punished them just before half-time, levelling against the run of play. From there, Portugal pushed, prodded, recycled possession. The winner never came. A 1-1 draw felt like a waste.
For Ronaldo, it was worse than that. Across a particularly lifeless first half, he did not create a chance, did not register a shot, did not complete a successful dribble, did not win a single duel. For a player who has built a career on bending games to his will, it was a stark, uncomfortable watch.
Martinez, though, refused to turn the page. Ronaldo stayed on until the final whistle, while Pedro Neto, Vitinha, Bernardo Silva, Tomas Araujo and Nuno Mendes all made way.
Scholes: “He’s a problem”
Scholes, speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, did not dance around the subject.
“I believe it’s challenging for the manager,” the former England and Manchester United midfielder said. He revealed he had already raised the issue with Martinez off-camera during a Stick to Football recording.
“I once had a conversation with Roberto Martinez off-camera… where I inquired, ‘Is he a problem for you?’, as I feel he is somewhat of a concern.”
For Scholes, the issue is brutally simple: age and position.
“At 41 years of age… I believe there is only one position on the field where a player of that age should be starting, and that is as a goalkeeper, in my opinion.
“Now look, he is going to score goals and he’s in a team that have a lot of possession, but once there’s a game where it has to be transition… and there will be games like that. His movement at 41 years of age…”
That trailing sentence says as much as any statistic from Houston.
Super-sub, not spearhead
Scholes knows Ronaldo as well as almost any ex-team-mate, having shared a dressing room with him for six years at Old Trafford. Affection hasn’t softened his view. If anything, it sharpens it.
He says he “feels sorry” for Martinez, convinced the Portugal coach is trapped between Ronaldo’s legendary status and the reality of modern international football.
“The trouble with Portugal is they haven’t really got an outstanding centre-forward anyway, have they? You’ve got to have somebody who runs,” Scholes added.
“For me, he has to be a player for the last 15 minutes. For a 40 or 41-year-old to be playing centre-forward, I just don’t get it.
“You might get away with it at centre-half, you might do in a team that keeps the ball and you probably get away with it as a goalkeeper, but as a centre-forward at 41… it’s not right.”
He pointed to Croatia and Luka Modric, still operating in central midfield at 40, as another example of a great pushed to the limits of what elite football now demands.
Pride, rivals and a manager under strain
There is another layer to all this: ego, rivalry, legacy.
“Cristiano will be so pissed off because Lionel Messi got a hat-trick, Kylian Mbappe got two… it will be killing him,” Scholes said. The old battle lines remain. Messi scores, Mbappe explodes, and Ronaldo, watching his numbers stall on the biggest stage, feels the weight of comparison all over again.
Scholes suspects Martinez is wrestling with that same history.
“I feel sorry for Martinez because he’s trying to embrace it and he’s saying, ‘No, I’ve got the best goalscorer in the world’, but deep down he must know that’s hurting his team.”
That is the crux. Portugal have the talent to win this World Cup. They also have a 41-year-old legend who still commands the spotlight. At some point, Martinez will have to decide which matters more: the name on the teamsheet, or the legs that can still carry them to a trophy.
