Ronaldo isn’t just making an appearance; he’s calling the shots. With the team having made the move from Lisbon to their base in Palm Beach, Florida, the 41-year-old has been putting on a show of self-assurance. He’s pointed to the 2-1s over Chile and Nigeria as proof and is after a quick start in Group K. A sixth final is on the line.
Captain’s message: confidence with a plan
You won’t find any grandstanding from Ronaldo when it comes to what lies ahead. His approach is methodical: make a good start, come out on top in the group, and then you deal with the knockouts as they come. It’s a no-nonsense way of going about it, meant to put some rhythm in the side from the first whistle.
He has put in the work, and he sees the value in it. The camp has been hard on the players but in a way that has made them sharper. In a mix of old hands and new faces, his insistence on keeping a cool head is how he wants to see the pressure handled.
What we have heard from him before we left:
– A strong showing in the opener is a must
– We are going for number one in the group
– Self-belief will be built as we go
Fitness talk ends the debate
The age thing comes up. Ronaldo doesn’t have time for it. “I’m fine physically, or have you not been to my games?” is his way of saying he is up for the rigour of a month in the sun.
Training has been tiring, he concedes, but good. “I am very positive. I think we will put in a good performance,” he says, making sure his own outlook is in step with the rest of the side.
Why Portugal believe this time
There is a fine crop of players here, in Ronaldo’s view, and that kind of balance is what makes for happy fans back home. The 2-1s against Chile and Nigeria were a case in point – a bit of a dress rehearsal, even without him on the scoresheet.
Then there is the history. Third in ’66, a quarter in 2022. Now, with Roberto Martinez in charge, the mood is right for another go at it. Some may argue over how much of an influence the captain is on the style of play, but Ronaldo is insistent: it is a team effort.
The road ahead: dates and opponents
It won’t be long before the real test. On June 17 in Houston we face the DRC. For Ronaldo, that is where the momentum is made. There is also Uzbekistan and Colombia in the group – matches that will require some patience and a firm hand on the tiller.
Palm Beach is our home away from home for a while, a place to recover and get ready between trips. The idea is to take the intensity of the build-up and put it into the game, keep that up through the group, and be in the right frame of mind when it matters most.
Inside the mindset: experience meets urgency
A sixth World Cup is a rare thing, but Ronaldo’s words are simple. Put in the work, be quick off the mark, have faith in each other. “We have a lot of hope,” is how he puts it.
“This is a generation to bring joy to the Portuguese people,” he said. So the job is to make that belief count on the field. We will see it on June 17 and from there, as he has laid out, we will build one game at a time.
