Roger Federer is coming back to US Open four years after retirement, set for two blockbuster matches US Open confirmed Roger Federer's return on Sunday, and he will be joined by three other tennis greats Published on: Aug 24, 2026, 13:25:16 IST Written by Aratrick Mondal Prefer HTon Google Share
Nerves cost us against Australia, but I'm proud of the team: women's hockey coach: Marijne Nerves cost us against Australia, but I'm proud of the team: women's hockey coach: Marijne Published on: Aug 24, 2026, 13:09:14 IST PTI Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Amstelveen
After seventh seed Victor Lai fell in three games to ninth seed Alex Lanier at the 2026 BWF World Championships in New Delhi, the former described the Frenchman as a ‘beast’, lauding his physical fitness and tenacity to go the distance and play the long game
India men’s football team will face Panama in a FIFA international friendly in September, ahead of another friendly against five-time FIFA World Cup winners Brazil in Kolkata on October 3. According to a report by The Times of India, the match between India and the North American side is
Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has ruled himself out of the running to replace Gianni Infantino, but says he expects a candidate to challenge the Fifa president's leadership in March. Infantino has faced calls to step down after he scrapped a controversial plan to sell off stakes in Fifa's
Barcelona began their La Liga title defence with a commanding 5-0 victory over Elche on Sunday, with Raphinha and Fermin Lopez scoring twice each and Anthony Gordon setting up two goals on his debut. The result comea a day after Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid defeated Espanyol 2-1 with a late winner
GCT Grand Finale: Praggnanandhaa beats Keymer to stake his claim for finals GCT Grand Finale: Praggnanandhaa beats Keymer to stake his claim for finals Published on: Aug 24, 2026, 09:43:17 IST PTI Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link St. Louis
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin may have been vocal in his demand for the current FIFA president Gianni Infantino to step down but he has no interest in replacing the under-fire Swiss. Infantino continues to face pressure to leave his position as world football’s governing body chief following
Ronaldo once carried Portugal
Ronaldo once carried Portugal. At 41, their deepest World Cup squad may finally know how to carry him
Ronaldo once carried Portugal. At 41, their deepest World Cup squad may finally know how to carry him
As Portugal enters the 2026 World Cup, the focus shifts from Ronaldo's legacy to utilizing his experience strategically.
Updated on: May 20, 2026 2:12 PM IST By Probuddha Bhattacharjee Share via Copy link Cristiano Ronaldo’s sixth World Cup will be read first as a record, because records have always followed him like weather. At 41, the Portuguese Superstar has been named in Roberto Martinez’s squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a tournament that can make him the first men’s player to feature in six editions of football’s biggest stage. Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal. (REUTERS) Portugal need that history to work as strategy. Martinez has not chosen a squad that looks trapped by the past. He has chosen one deep enough, flexible enough and modern enough to change the old Ronaldo equation. For almost two decades, Portugal often needed Ronaldo to carry their threat, their gravity and their tournament identity. In 2026, the strongest argument for taking him may be that they no longer need him to carry all of it.Portugal finally have the depth to reduce Ronaldo’s burden
The full squad explains the logic better than the record does. Portugal have Diogo Costa, Jose Sa, Rui Silva and Ricardo Velho in the goalkeeping group, although only three can be officially registered unless an injury opens the door for Velho. The defence has Ruben Dias, Nuno Mendes, Joao Cancelo, Diogo Dalot, Goncalo Inacio, Renato Veiga, Tomas Araujo, Nelson Semedo and Matheus Nunes, who gives Martinez another hybrid option. The midfield has Vitinha, Joao Neves, Ruben Neves, Samuel Costa, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva. The attack includes Joao Felix, Francisco Trincao, Francisco Conceicao, Pedro Neto, Rafael Leao, Goncalo Guedes, Goncalo Ramos and Ronaldo. That is not a squad built around one route to goal. It has carriers, passers, runners, crossers, midfield controllers, wide accelerators and alternative centre-forward profiles. Bernardo can slow possession without killing it. Bruno can turn a flat move into a vertical wound. Vitinha and Joao Neves can stop Portugal from becoming frantic. Leao, Neto and Conceicao can stretch opponents in different ways. Felix and Trincao can work between lines. Ramos gives Martinez a more natural pressing-and-running No. 9 option when the game asks for that kind of forward. Ronaldo’s value sits inside that abundance. Portugal can now pick him without asking him to be the whole attacking weather system. His role can be narrower, and that narrowness may protect the selection from becoming a sentimental drag. Also Read: Cristiano Ronaldo makes it to his 6th World Cup roster as Portugal announce squad for 2026 editionThe old Ronaldo equation has changed
Earlier, Portugal teams often looked emotionally and tactically tied to the Ronaldo question. If he was fit, the team bent toward him. If he was quiet, the attack seemed to wait for the old inevitability to return. That relationship grew heavier over time, especially when opponents could press around him, isolate him from service, or force Portugal into slower circulation. Martinez has a different opportunity. He can treat Ronaldo as a match-state player rather than a permanent organising principle. Start him when Portugal expect territory, crosses and deep defensive blocks. Save him when the first hour needs pressing speed and repeated defensive sprints. Keep him close for set-pieces, penalties, late pressure and knockout phases where one lost marker can decide a tournament. That is the football case. Cristiano Ronaldo remains dangerous when the game shrinks. World Cup matches do not always reward the most complete attacking system. They often collapse into one delivery, one loose ball, one back-post run, one defender caught watching, one penalty taken under a noise that turns knees into paper. Ronaldo has spent his career living in those spaces. Even at 41, that instinct still changes the way defenders behave before the ball arrives.Portugal must avoid the old trap
The risk is obvious. Portugal cannot pretend that age has no tactical cost. Ronaldo does not cover ground the way he once did, and Martinez cannot afford to turn every attack into a search for his final touch. If his presence slows the tempo, weakens the press, or forces better-suited players into unnatural roles, the selection can quickly become a problem. Portugal’s depth only helps if Martinez is willing to use that depth honestly. A squad with Bruno, Bernardo, Vitinha, Joao Neves, Leao, Neto, Conceicao, Felix, Trincao and Ramos cannot be reduced to service duty around one ageing forward. The strength of this Portugal group lies in its variety. Ronaldo can sharpen that variety only if he does not consume it. That is why the 2026 Ronaldo decision should not be judged through the lens of the old superstar. The question is no longer whether Portugal should build around him. The question is whether Portugal can use him without surrendering the rest of the team’s range.The sixth World Cup is the headline, not the full argument
The record is enormous. Ronaldo has already played at the 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 World Cups. A sixth tournament would put him in a different historical corridor altogether. But history cannot be the reason Portugal carry him. Tournament squads cannot be museums. Martinez’s job is not to honour longevity. His job is to win football matches. That is where the full squad makes the decision more convincing. Portugal are no longer dragging a thin attack behind Ronaldo’s mythology. They have enough quality to create without him, press without him, control without him and change matches without him. That reduces the emotional pressure around his role. For Ronaldo, reduction is not humiliation. It may be survival. His career has already been shaped by ruthless reinvention. The electric winger became a penalty-box destroyer. The all-action forward became a specialist in movement, timing and finishing. CR7 now needs one more transformation: from national-team centre of gravity to high-value tournament tool.Why the gamble still makes sense
Portugal enter the tournament with the profile of a serious contender. They are experienced, technically rich and balanced across departments. Their group-stage path gives Martinez space to manage bodies and rhythm, but the real test will arrive later, when matches become tighter and more hostile. That is where Ronaldo can still matter. A knockout game does not always need a forward to press for 90 minutes or touch the ball 60 times. It may need one clean run across a centre-back, one header at the far post, one penalty under suffocating pressure, one finish from a half-chance that younger players might snatch at. Ronaldo’s value now lives in those reduced but brutal moments. Portugal once needed him to drag them through tournaments. At 41, the task has changed. The team may have to carry him through the parts of a World Cup that no longer suit his body, so that he is still available for the parts that still suit his instincts. The sixth World Cup will dominate the headlines. The calculation underneath is colder and more interesting. Portugal have moved far enough from Ronaldo dependency to make Ronaldo useful again. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Probuddha Bhattacharjee Probuddha Bhattacharjee is a sports writer and analyst with expertise spanning cricket, football, and multi-sport events, with a strong emphasis on data-driven journalism and tactical storytelling. He currently focuses on international cricket, the Indian Premier League, global tournaments, and emerging trends shaping modern sport, blending advanced statistics with strong narrative context to explain performance, strategy, and decision-making. His work aims to bridge the gap between numbers and storytelling, helping readers understand not just what happened on the field, but the tactical and structural reasons behind it. Trained in data journalism through the Google News Initiative (GNI) Data Journalism Lab, Probuddha works extensively with ball-by-ball datasets, performance metrics, and trend-based modelling to produce evidence-backed reports, explainers, and long-form features. His analytical approach focuses not only on outcomes but also on process—selection strategies, phase-wise tactics, workload management, and the influence of preparation and planning on match results. He is particularly interested in how statistical patterns reshape conventional cricketing narratives and provide clearer tactical insight for modern audiences. Beyond cricket, Probuddha has written analytical and news-driven pieces on football and other major sporting events, with a growing interest in sports governance, scheduling dynamics, and the economics of elite competitions. He also tracks how rule changes, franchise structures, and broadcast pressures influence the evolution of contemporary sport. He has previously contributed to platforms such as OneCricket, Sportskeeda, and CrickTracker, and continues to specialise in analytical storytelling, live coverage, and audience-focused reporting. His work prioritises clarity, context, and credibility, while consistently exploring innovative ways to present data through accessible narratives and structured match analysis.Read More Roberto Martinez Cristiano Ronaldo World Cup Portugal Stay updated with the latest sports news, including latest headlines and updates from the Durand Cup Final Live. Catch all the action from tennis Grand Slam tournaments, follow your favourite football teams and players with the latest match results, and get the latest on international hockey tournaments and series. Home/Sports/Football/Ronaldo Once Carried Portugal. At 41, Their Deepest World Cup Squad May Finally Know How To Carry Him See LessCristiano Ronaldo’s sixth World Cup will be read first as a record, because records have always followed him like weather. At 41, the Portuguese Superstar has been named in Roberto Martinez’s squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a tournament that can make him the first men’s player to feature in six editions of football’s biggest stage.
Portugal need that history to work as strategy. Martinez has not chosen a squad that looks trapped by the past. He has chosen one deep enough, flexible enough and modern enough to change the old Ronaldo equation. For almost two decades, Portugal often needed Ronaldo to carry their threat, their gravity and their tournament identity. In 2026, the strongest argument for taking him may be that they no longer need him to carry all of it.
The midfield has Vitinha, Joao Neves, Ruben Neves, Samuel Costa, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva. The attack includes Joao Felix, Francisco Trincao, Francisco Conceicao, Pedro Neto, Rafael Leao, Goncalo Guedes, Goncalo Ramos and Ronaldo.
That is not a squad built around one route to goal. It has carriers, passers, runners, crossers, midfield controllers, wide accelerators and alternative centre-forward profiles. Bernardo can slow possession without killing it. Bruno can turn a flat move into a vertical wound. Vitinha and Joao Neves can stop Portugal from becoming frantic. Leao, Neto and Conceicao can stretch opponents in different ways. Felix and Trincao can work between lines. Ramos gives Martinez a more natural pressing-and-running No. 9 option when the game asks for that kind of forward.
Ronaldo’s value sits inside that abundance. Portugal can now pick him without asking him to be the whole attacking weather system. His role can be narrower, and that narrowness may protect the selection from becoming a sentimental drag.
Also Read: Cristiano Ronaldo makes it to his 6th World Cup roster as Portugal announce squad for 2026 edition
Martinez has a different opportunity. He can treat Ronaldo as a match-state player rather than a permanent organising principle.
Start him when Portugal expect territory, crosses and deep defensive blocks. Save him when the first hour needs pressing speed and repeated defensive sprints. Keep him close for set-pieces, penalties, late pressure and knockout phases where one lost marker can decide a tournament.
That is the football case. Cristiano Ronaldo remains dangerous when the game shrinks. World Cup matches do not always reward the most complete attacking system. They often collapse into one delivery, one loose ball, one back-post run, one defender caught watching, one penalty taken under a noise that turns knees into paper. Ronaldo has spent his career living in those spaces. Even at 41, that instinct still changes the way defenders behave before the ball arrives.
Portugal’s depth only helps if Martinez is willing to use that depth honestly. A squad with Bruno, Bernardo, Vitinha, Joao Neves, Leao, Neto, Conceicao, Felix, Trincao and Ramos cannot be reduced to service duty around one ageing forward. The strength of this Portugal group lies in its variety. Ronaldo can sharpen that variety only if he does not consume it.
That is why the 2026 Ronaldo decision should not be judged through the lens of the old superstar. The question is no longer whether Portugal should build around him. The question is whether Portugal can use him without surrendering the rest of the team’s range.
But history cannot be the reason Portugal carry him. Tournament squads cannot be museums. Martinez’s job is not to honour longevity. His job is to win football matches.
That is where the full squad makes the decision more convincing. Portugal are no longer dragging a thin attack behind Ronaldo’s mythology. They have enough quality to create without him, press without him, control without him and change matches without him. That reduces the emotional pressure around his role.
For Ronaldo, reduction is not humiliation. It may be survival. His career has already been shaped by ruthless reinvention. The electric winger became a penalty-box destroyer. The all-action forward became a specialist in movement, timing and finishing. CR7 now needs one more transformation: from national-team centre of gravity to high-value tournament tool.
That is where Ronaldo can still matter. A knockout game does not always need a forward to press for 90 minutes or touch the ball 60 times. It may need one clean run across a centre-back, one header at the far post, one penalty under suffocating pressure, one finish from a half-chance that younger players might snatch at. Ronaldo’s value now lives in those reduced but brutal moments.
Portugal once needed him to drag them through tournaments. At 41, the task has changed. The team may have to carry him through the parts of a World Cup that no longer suit his body, so that he is still available for the parts that still suit his instincts.
The sixth World Cup will dominate the headlines. The calculation underneath is colder and more interesting. Portugal have moved far enough from Ronaldo dependency to make Ronaldo useful again.
Source: HindustanTimes
Related Posts: Cristiano Ronaldo,World Cup,2026 FIFA World Cup,Portugal,Roberto Martinez,Portugal world cup s
The French are known for a lot of things but badminton isn’t one of them. Till Sunday, when the country that has never been considered among the top nations even in Europe created history at the 2026 World championships, in more ways than one
11 hours ago
AITA picked them, the government cut them: Why has India’s Asian Games tennis squad been slashed from 12 to 7? The AITA had originally proposed a 12-member squad for for the Asian Games, which included six women. But the list was slashed down to just seven players. Updated on: Aug 24, 2026
11 hours ago
Ashton Jeanty injury update: Is the Raiders RB out for the season? Doctor reveals possible diagnoses; ‘best case…’ Ashton Jeanty was injured after attempting a catch, prompting a tense silence at the Raiders’ facility before his teammates gathered and knelt in prayer. Updated on: Aug 24
14 hours ago
When Liverpool came to Newcastle last August, there was utter jubilation as Rio Ngumoha scored a remarkable 100th-minute winner. They scored late again this time around, through Dominik Szoboszlai's 99th-minute penalty, but it felt more like a sense of relief than joy as they rescued a point
14 hours ago
'Is Sydney Taylor playing tonight?' Chicago Sky guard's slow start vs Fever sparks injury concerns Sydney Taylor was in Chicago’s starting lineup when the Sky hosted the Indiana Fever on Sunday night. Updated on: Aug 24, 2026, 07:32:12 IST By Ojas Jaiswal Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link
14 hours ago
Yet again, the England men's cricket team is picking through the wreckage of a late-night misdemeanour. The latest stain on the game's reputation is a result of pictures of fast bowler Brydon Carse in handcuffs and surrounded by police officers outside a nightspot in Derby
14 hours ago
Jean-Philippe Mateta is arguing the remainder of his Crystal Palace contract is invalid and has taken his case to Fifa. Multiple sources have told BBC Sport the France international has launched an official challenge over the validity of the final 10 months on his Selhurst Park deal
1 days ago
Bangladesh 64: Starc 6-12 & 95: Shanto 31; Starc 4-39, Cummins 3-10, Lyon 3-25 Mitchell Starc took 10 wickets in the match as Australia bounced back from last week's shock defeat by Bangladesh to win the second Test by an innings and 51 runs and draw the series 1-1. Second Test
1 days ago
Jannik Sinner's absence benefits Carlos Alcaraz: What to expect from the US Open champion after his long injury layoff Jannik Sinner is out, but is it premature to call Carlos Alcaraz the US Open favourite after four months away? Updated on: Aug 23, 2026
1 days ago
US Open leaves Stan Wawrinka out in the cold, denying former champion a wild card for his final Grand Slam The US Open has surprisingly denied Stan Wawrinka a wild card for what could be his final appearance at a Grand Slam. Updated on: Aug 23, 2026
1 days ago
India faced the Netherlands in their Pool E match of the ongoing FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026 on Saturday (August 22) at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen but suffered a 1-3 defeat. India conceded one goal in the third quarter and two in the fourth quarter to go down against the hosts
1 days ago
There is an uncanny resemblance between Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa’s bronze-medal run at the 2011 BWF World Championships and Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand’s campaign at the 2026 edition. Jwala and Ashwini faced the second-seeded Cheng Wen-hsing and Chien Yu-chin as early as the
1 days ago
Runs on the board and rival wickets, is the template that Dhananjaya de Silva will chase when the second Test commences at the SSC Ground on Sunday (August 23, 2026). “It’s about putting runs on the board. That’s what India did [at Galle]. For the first two days they batted and got 460 runs
1 days ago
Serena Williams returns to US Open after four years, joins Carlos Alcaraz for mixed doubles Serena Williams will return to the US Open for the first time since 2022, partnering Carlos Alcaraz in mixed doubles after receiving a wildcard. Published on: Aug 23, 2026
1 days ago
Roberto De Zerbi may have spent close to £400m by the time his Tottenham Hotspur rebuild is complete – but it took just his side's first Premier League game of the season to prove all the money in the world is no guaranteed cure for a losing mentality
1 days ago
Manchester United's fans had endured a bad enough day on the banks of the River Humber when Hull City's stadium announcer gleefully piped up midway through the second half. Two trains back to Manchester from the city centre station had been cancelled
1 days ago
From a shy girl to team mentor, Savita Punia says hockey changed her life From a shy girl to team mentor, Savita Punia says hockey changed her life Published on: Aug 22, 2026, 12:08:49 IST PTI Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Amstelveen
2 days ago
Shubhankar makes cut after spectacular ace at Nexo Championship Shubhankar makes cut after spectacular ace at Nexo Championship Published on: Aug 22, 2026, 12:17:58 IST PTI Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Aberdeenshire , Shubhankar Sharma ended his streak of four missed cuts as he made the
2 days ago
Inter Miami's Lionel Messi has been fined for slapping Philadelphia Union's Quinn Sullivan during their side's Major League Soccer (MLS) 2-2 draw on Wednesday. Messi, 39, slapped Sullivan around the back of the head towards the end of the game as he complained the Union player had elbowed him after
2 days ago
Premier League champions Arsenal will start the new season with some of the nightmares of the previous two as their marquee signing, midfielder Bruno Guimarães, is not part of the squad due to an injury. Guimarães signed for £75 million (Rs. 979 crore) from Newcastle United and suffered a knock
2 days ago
Nostalgia may have enveloped Sairaj Bahutule when he entered the SSC Ground. He would have remembered his last Test played at the same venue in 2001, a game India lost. The Indian spin-bowling coach, though, quickly immersed himself in the nets here Friday (August 21, 2026)
2 days ago
Lionel Messi fined for slapping opponent on the head as Inter Miami-Philadelphia clash erupts into late red-card chaos Lionel Messi was fined by MLS after slapping Philadelphia's Quinn Sullivan on the head as Inter Miami's 2-2 draw desecended into stoppage-time chaos. Updated on: Aug 22, 2026
2 days ago
Double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra managed to deliver his season’s best performance at the Lausanne Diamond League on Friday but fell agonisingly short of the top spot, as Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage finished first with a throw just nine centimetres more than his
2 days ago
Why did Nick Chubb retire? Net worth in focus as NFL player ends career at 30 Nick Chubb played for eight seasons in NFL that included seven years with the Cleveland Browns and one with the Houston Texans. Updated on: Aug 22, 2026, 09:25:09 IST By Shirin Gupta Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link
2 days ago
Arsenal started last season as nearly men - but now they have the swagger of winners. That much can be seen on the approach to Emirates Stadium. Above the entrance to the ground is new signage, a simple message in gold: 'Champions'. Players and fans alike have taken the confidence of last season's
2 days ago
Liverpool, Man City face questions in new era without Salah, Guardiola Liverpool, Man City face questions in new era without Salah, Guardiola Published on: Aug 22, 2026, 06:32:41 IST AFP Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Mohamed Salah and Pep Guardiola are two of the most iconic figures in
2 days ago
Nakashima knocks out Fritz to reach Cincinnati semi-finals Nakashima knocks out Fritz to reach Cincinnati semi-finals Published on: Aug 22, 2026, 04:36:47 IST AFP Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link Brandon Nakashima continued his red-hot pace on Friday
2 days ago
