Fake quotes, social media storms, and internal tensions — Portugal's World Cup campaign has been rocked by a controversy surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo before the tournament has barely begun.

It started with a below-par display from the 41-year-old in Portugal's 1-1 draw with DR Congo in their opening match. What followed was an avalanche of chaos that few could have predicted.

The Neves interview that ignited a firestorm

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Joao Neves gave what should have been a routine post-match interview, only to find himself at the centre of a national storm. Asked about Ronaldo's place in the squad, Neves said: "We know what Ronaldo has done for our national team, but at this moment I feel that for him, and for everyone, he's one of us. He's one more player trying to help, he's no different to the others. He's here to contribute like we all will."

The backlash was immediate and fierce. Ronaldo supporters flooded the social media accounts of Neves, Bruno Fernandes, and others, accusing them of disrespecting the Portugal captain. Even for a footballer of Ronaldo's global standing, the scale of the reaction was extraordinary.

"It highlights the risk of a civil war that could emerge within the national team," warned Anibal Pinto of the Record newspaper.

Family and inner circle fan the flames

Ronaldo's partner Georgina Rodriguez responded to a fabricated quote attributed to Neves' girlfriend, Madalena Aragao, before deleting the comment. His sisters Katia and Elma Aveiro shared posts implying an effort to isolate him from the team. On CMTV — Portugal's most-watched TV channel, in which Ronaldo holds a stake — pundit Luis Miguel Henrique, who has represented Ronaldo in business matters, cited a fake quote attributed to Zinedine Zidane in his defence.

The turbulence quickly reached the Portugal camp in Miami. Ruben Dias, visibly irritated, told reporters: "This shouldn't even be a topic of discussion." Diogo Dalot added: "We know there are a lot of people who don't want Portugal to win."

A striker who has stopped scoring

Ronaldo has gone 10 consecutive matches at major tournaments without a goal — his last strike coming from the penalty spot against Ghana at the 2022 World Cup. Against DR Congo he registered three shots, more than any other player on the pitch, yet failed to trouble the goalkeeper.

"Whenever people talk about Cristiano Ronaldo, it almost feels like Portugal are playing in Cristiano Ronaldo's country," said Luis Aguilar, a pundit for SIC Noticias. "It's like there is one man who is far bigger than the collective good."

Aguilar went further, arguing that, unlike Lionel Messi — who remains the best player in the Argentina squad — Ronaldo is no longer the standout performer in his own national team.

Despite those struggles, coach Roberto Martinez kept Ronaldo on the pitch for the full 90 minutes against DR Congo. Across the 30 matches Ronaldo has started under Martinez, he has been substituted only once before the 60th minute — in a 5-0 win over Armenia in September 2025.

A Bola executive director Luis Mateus was blunt in his assessment: "He's not the solution and that alone makes him part of the problem. He is on the pitch because of gratitude, not because of how he is playing." A poll by the Zerozero website found 63 percent of Portugal fans who voted did not want Ronaldo to start against Uzbekistan.

Echoes of 2010

This is not the first time Ronaldo has arrived at a World Cup under a cloud of criticism. In 2010, he reached South Africa without scoring in a competitive Portugal match for two years. His response then was characteristically breezy: "Goals are like ketchup. When they come, they come all at once." He ended the drought in a 7-0 win over North Korea, though that proved his only goal as Portugal were eliminated by Spain in the last 16.

Former Tottenham and Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas, now Porto president, urged a reset: "It is now time to rethink a few things, to spend less time at the beach and more time in the meeting room. Our ambitions remain enormous, because this is a golden generation and we want the man who has given so much to our country to leave the game holding the World Cup trophy, the same way Messi did in Qatar."

Portugal know that only a convincing performance against Uzbekistan — ideally with Ronaldo on the scoresheet — can begin to calm the storm.