Thierry Henry comes hard at Cristiano Ronaldo after Portugal's draw against Congo; ‘the team needs to score. Not you’

Cristiano Ronaldo's frustrating show against DR Congo in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K draw at Houston earned criticism, with Thierry Henry urging Roberto Martinez's side to score collectively and not just the captain. A former World Cup winner with France, Henry came hard on Ronaldo, after the 41-year-old had zero shots on target, as Portugal were held to a surprise 1-1 draw by the African side playing at the World Cup after 52 years.

The former Manchester United legend, Ronaldo was largely a peripheral figure for most part of the match, failing to make an impact on a day when his greatest rival Lionel Messi starred with a hattrick for Argentina.

The result left Portugal third in Group K with just a point. DR Congo are second while Colombia take the top spot for now after defeating debutants Uzbekistan 3-1 on Thursday. Speaking at FOX's post-match coverage, Henry pointed Ronaldo's performance and Portugal's wider attacking problems.

“One thing that's important, people, please at home, the team needs to score. Not YOU needs to score,” said Henry, a former Arsenal stalwart. "Because HE wants to score, he goes in the path of the back pass, you see both players, and it's easier for you to defend.

“And that's my thing: The team needs to score. Not you,” said Henry.

Playing in his record sixth World Cup, Ronaldo now has extended his record of not scoring at major tournaments to 10 matches. It was also the second time, Ronaldo left the pitch without a single shot at goal in a World Cup game. Based on ESPN's statistics, Ronaldo had just 25 touches on the ball with three attempted shots and won just one duel.

This pretty sums up the impact of one of the best footballers in this generation and how DR Congo contained the opposition. Henry's was particular about Portugal's second half attacking sequence, which involved Joao Cancelo and Bruno Fernandes too.

The Frenchman argued that Ronaldo's movement towards the ball crowded a dangerous area. “So, obviously, we're going to see here Portugal being on the ball, Cancelo is going to receive the ball. Cristiano Ronaldo has been in this situation multiple times,” he said.

"If you make that run here, you make the defender take 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 that six-yard box, then it would have been a tap-in for Bruno Fernandes," concluded Henry.

Roberto Martinez defends Cristiano Ronaldo

Meanwhile, Portugal coach Roberto Martinez defended Ronaldo's no-show and said that removing him was never a serious consideration while Portugal chased a winner. "It makes no sense to get the best goal scorer in world football out in a game that you need goals," Martinez said.

Earlier, Joao Neves gave Portugal the lead as early as just in sixth minute, before Yoane Wissa equalised for DR Congo on the fifth minute of the first-half injury time. Portugal would have taken the lead in the second half had an acrobatic effort from Cancelo wasn't ruled off-side.

Notably, Ronaldo is Portugal's all-time leading scorer with 143 international goals. Portugal next face Uzbekistan on June 23.

FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K standings

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