‘Ronaldo does nothing’ – Chelsea legend blames CR7 for Portugal's World Cup exit

Former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton has blamed Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal manager Roberto Martinez for the nation's exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Portugal's hopes of lifting the trophy came to an end after a heartbreaking defeat to Spain in the knockout stages, with the result bringing an end to Ronaldo's final World Cup campaign.

Sutton believes Martinez made a costly mistake by continuing to build his attack around the veteran forward despite having younger and more dynamic alternatives available.

Speaking on the BBC, Sutton did not hold back in his assessment of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

He said, "He's (Ronaldo) waddling around the field like a grandad, that's why Portugal are out."

The former Premier League striker went further by questioning Ronaldo's overall contribution during the tournament. "Cristiano Ronaldo does nothing."

Sutton also directed his criticism at Portugal coach Roberto Martinez, accusing him of failing to make difficult decisions for the benefit of the team.

He pointed to striker Gonçalo Ramos as evidence that Portugal possessed capable replacements for Ronaldo.

Ramos famously announced himself on the global stage at the previous World Cup by scoring a hat-trick after replacing Ronaldo in Portugal's starting lineup.

Sutton argued that Martinez ignored that lesson.

"Ramos played in the last 16 at the last World Cup and scored a hat-trick when the manager had a bit of courage to leave Ronaldo out."

He continued, "We're four years on, Ronaldo is four years older and look what's happened. What is Martinez doing? How can you pander to a player so much? Portugal is out because of Roberto Martinez."