Henry makes bold claim about Cristiano Ronaldo’s effect on Bruno Fernandes | OneFootball

Arsenal icon Thierry Henry has criticised Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo for putting personal accolades ahead of team glory. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was in the starting XI for Portugal, alongside Red Devils captain Bruno Fernandes, for their 1-1 draw against Congo in their opening 2026 FIFA World Cup group-stage tie.

Portugal went ahead in the sixth minute through Joao Neves, but Yoane Wissa drew Congo level at the stroke of half-time, with the two teams going on to share the spoils. Ronaldo played the entire 90 minutes but registered just 25 touches of the ball.

The former United man managed three shots, none of which were on target, did not register any dribbles, but won two of his three aerial duels. There was a particular moment involving Joao Cancelo and Fernandes after the break when Portugal had the chance to go ahead.

However, the ball intended for the current United skipper was intercepted by Ronaldo, who lashed it wide. Following the game, Henry used this sequence of play to highlight where things went wrong for Portugal.

United legend urged to put the team ahead of himself

Speaking on Fox Sports, Henry insisted that Ronaldo must learn to put the team ahead of his personal glory. The Frenchman said: “One thing that is important people, please, at home: The team needs to score, not you need to score.”

“Cristiano Ronaldo has been in that situation multiple times. If you make that run here, you make the defender make a decision to crash the six-yard box. But because he wants to score, he goes into the path of Bruno Fernandes.”

“If he goes into the six-yard box — you’ve been in that situation, Alexi — you would’ve had to follow him, and it would’ve been a tap in for Bruno Fernandes. But because he wants to score, he goes into the path of the back pass. You see both players, and it’s easier for you to defend. That’s my thing: The team needs to score, not you.”

Former United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic also echoed Henry’s sentiments, adding: “Normally, as a striker, you go from first post to second post to bring the defender with you to open the space for the guy behind. So, obviously you made the wrong choice here, Cristiano.”

Portugal have to help Ronaldo

Henry went on to point out that Ronaldo is no longer the player he was and that the Portugal team must provide him with better chances. He said: “If you play with Cristiano Ronaldo, the other guys need to do a tiny bit more in terms of running in behind and trying to help him because we know what he is right now.”

“He’s not going to run into the channel. He’s not going to stretch a team. You need to feed him in the box in order for him to score goals. In the first half, they were very passive in terms of running in behind, because we all know he isn’t that type of guy anymore. If you want him to score, you have to feed him.”

On Wednesday, Ronaldo became the oldest outfield player to feature at the FIFA World Cup, and equalled Lionel Messi’s feat of featuring in six editions of the mega event. The Portuguese is now attempting to become the first player to score in six World Cups.

Meanwhile, Fernandes, who is coming off a record-breaking season with United, also had a quiet game against Congo. However, things could have been very different had the 31 year old been afforded that one chance to turn the game in the second half.

Bruno Fernandes Stats: 2025/26 Season

Source: Transfermarkt.

Henry went on to hint at a growing tension between Ronaldo and the rest of his team-mates, concluding: “You saw the reaction of Bruno Fernandes behind, going like: ‘Let it roll, make a run, create space, so I can tap it in.’ And that’s my thing.”

Final Thoughts

Messi’s blistering start to the 2026 World Cup has put further pressure on Ronaldo. The Al-Nassr man, though, would be better advised to take a step back and allow Fernandes to become Portugal’s new talisman.

Featured image Yasser Bakhsh via Getty Images

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