Cristiano Ronaldo risks ruining his legacy if he continues to stymie Portugal by starting | Miguel Dantas

At 41, Cristiano Ronaldo’s problem is not his age. It is that nobody seems willing to tell him to his face what everyone else can see. In Portugal, patience for the legend has run dry. Ronaldo is not fit to be a Portugal starter any more. What would have sounded like a treasonous statement a few years ago now looks an obvious truth. At least to everyone except the national team manager, Roberto Martínez, and his coaching staff. More than the shock of Portugal drawing against the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) – a team that had never earned a point at a World Cup – Ronaldo’s future has been the country’s biggest talking point. Whether you’re on the subway, walking your dog through the park or doing your shopping, you can’t escape the debate. It raged before the tournament and is deafening now. Before discussing Ronaldo’s form, let’s get a few things straight. As a Portuguese citizen, football fan and journalist, I feel indebted to him. Travel to almost any corner of the globe, mention where you are from and his name will probably be the first thing you hear in response. People will ask whether you like him. They will recall a goal he scored against their favourite team. They will tell you where they were when they watched him play. At the height of Ronaldo’s rivalry with Lionel Messi, choosing the Argentinian felt almost unpatriotic. Family lunches descended into chaos when the subject came up and two uncles had opposing views. …