‘Ego is holding Portugal hostage’: Zlatan Ibrahimovic brutally attacked Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (AP Photo) Portugal may have secured a dramatic place in the last 16 of the World Cup but their victory over Croatia reignited the debate over Cristiano Ronaldo’s place in the starting XI after legendary striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic delivered a blistering assessment of the veteran forward. Speaking as a Fox Sports pundit, Ibrahimovic questioned whether Roberto Martinez’s side could realistically challenge for the 2026 World Cup while continuing to build their attack around 41-year-old Ronaldo. “Portugal fans could have expected what was happening. You can’t expect to win anything in 2026 with 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo leading the attack. Especially with Ramos on the bench when he came on and scored,” Ibrahimovic said. The former AC Milan and Manchester United star claimed that Ronaldo’s place in the team is due to his legendary status rather than his current performances. Ibrahimovic believes the Portugal captain no longer has the movement or finishing skills that once made him one of football’s most feared strikers. “This isn’t ‘legendary leadership’. It’s ego holding the team hostage. Ronaldo has lost touch and mobility. He’s just in a box now… His aura supports him more than his legs at this point. To continue to start him is pure nostalgia-driven madness,” he added. The criticism came despite Portugal producing a thrilling late comeback against Croatia to book a meeting with Spain for the last 16. Croatia looked to win after Ivan Perisic opened the scoring but Ronaldo equalized for Portugal from the penalty spot. The goal was a significant personal milestone, marking his first ever strike in the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup during his record-extending sixth appearance at the tournament. With extra time seemingly inevitable, Portugal found a dramatic winner in the 94th minute. Rafael Leão crossed into the box and Gonçalo Ramos hit the decisive header to send Martinez’s side to a 2-1 victory. Croatia thought they had forced extra time deep into the break when Josko Guardiol slotted the ball into the net from a goal scrum. However, after a lengthy VAR review, the officials recognized Igor Matanović as offside, disallowed the goal and kept Portugal in the lead. The result extended Portugal’s unbeaten record against Croatia in competitive matches and set up a blockbuster round-of-16 tie against Spain on July 7 (0:30 local time). Although Portugal progressed, his performance did little to quell the debate over Ronaldo’s role in the team. Ibrahimovic’s comments only fueled that conversation, with the Swedish great insisting Portugal’s World Cup ambitions could be undermined if they continue to rely on their iconic captain as the focal point of attack.