Wayne Rooney Comments on Cristiano Ronaldo’s Performance Against DR Congo in the 2026 World Cup

Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney expressed disappointment with Portugal’s performance under coach Roberto Martinez, while still defending Cristiano Ronaldo.

Rooney said that Ronaldo’s statistics would never be the best, but if the 41‑year‑old had good passing chances, he would be able to score.

Before the tournament, Portugal was seen as one of the favorites to win the World Cup, yet the team struggled in its opening match against the underdog DR Congo.

Roberto Martinez’s side appeared set for an easy win when João Neves headed in a goal just seven minutes into the game.

Portugal, however, failed to build on the lead, and DR Congo responded with a first‑world‑cup goal from Newcastle United forward Yoane Wissa, who scored with a header.

Ronaldo, the iconic striker, matched Lionel Messi’s record by appearing in his sixth World Cup, but he did not become the first player to score in six different tournaments.

Rooney told BBC One, “The first game of the group is so important and for Portugal to perform the way they have performed, you want to see more energy, I want to see more legs in the team.”

“I want to see players run past Cristiano Ronaldo at times. I think it was a poor performance from Portugal.”

“Cristiano Ronaldo’s stats are never going to be the best, so what he needs are chances. If he gets chances, and a good chance, he will score goals.”

“We can look at stats over the last five years and they mean nothing.”