Ken Early: Cristiano Ronaldo's decline leaves Portugal paying the price against Colombia

Ken Early argues that Cristiano Ronaldo’s decline and Portugal’s insistence on keeping the 41-year-old captain are now proving costly in World Cup planning. Early recalls Qatar 2022, when Ronaldo was left out of Portugal’s second-round match vs Switzerland, a game Gonçalo Ramos turned with a hat-trick and a 6-1 win. He cites that Portugal was later eliminated by Morocco, and notes Ronaldo’s subsequent move to Saudi Arabia seemed like a natural endpoint. Early then describes Roberto Martinez’s appointment after Belgium’s poor group-stage exit and Martinez’s claim that age is “just a number.” Despite penalty misses and Portugal going out in the quarter-final vs France on penalties, Martinez continued backing Ronaldo, including in qualifiers. The piece concludes that Ronaldo’s prominence has outweighed footballing efficiency, referencing Portugal’s 0-0 draw vs Colombia.