Cristiano Ronaldo

At 41 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo is a shadow of the once brilliant player he was. Everyone can see it, except the great man himself. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is now focused on chasing the stupendous milestone of 1,000 career goals, which would be yet another achievement for a footballer obsessed with breaking personal records in a team sport. The 2026 World Cup marks yet another milestone achievement – the sixth time he has played in the tournament. It is a lot of soccer, and at the highest level, yet Father Time waits for no one, not even someone as rich and famous as Ronaldo. Portugal’s manager Roberto Martinez must take a fair share of the blame. Why does he persist in picking Ronaldo? This once supreme athlete is now a drag on the Portugal team.