JAKARTA – Portuguese player Francisco Conceicao, rejected the notion that the team felt compelled to constantly look for Cristiano Ronaldo on the field at the 2026 World Cup.
“We have no obligation or need to pass the ball to him. Cristiano is an example because of the passion he shows every day, as if it were his last training session,” said Conceicao.
Critics slammed Portugal and Ronaldo after a 1-1 draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo in the opening match of the group stage.
Roberto Martinez’s team will train again on Sunday, June 21, 2026, local time, to prepare for the important Group K match against Uzbekistan in Houston on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, early morning WIB, hoping to win their first victory in this tournament.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of training in Palm Beach, Florida, Conceicao said that there is no one like Ronaldo when it comes to scoring goals.
He further said that the veteran attacker was at the 2026 World Cup to help, just like the other players.
“No, I think Cristiano, with his quality in scoring, I don’t think there is anyone like him in that respect.”
“We have no obligation, no need to pass the ball to him. For example, speaking for myself, I pass the ball to whoever I think is better without guarding at that moment.”
“It doesn’t mean I have time to think about who, what the face of my teammate next to me is, no. I think we do everything based on instinct, we do everything.”
“It was a split second, there was no time for that. Of course, Cristiano is here to help, like other players in the Portuguese national team,” said Conceicao.
Conceicao made his World Cup debut in the draw against Congo, 24 years after his father, Sergio Conceicao, played for Portugal at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan.
“Cristiano is an example because of what he has achieved in his career, because of the hunger he shows every day. Now at 41, the hunger he shows to win every day, is very motivated to train as if it were his last training session.”
“I think for me, for the new generation, and for all of us who are here, he is an example. If he has conquered so much and continues with that hunger, then the hunger we have to achieve a little of what he has achieved must be even greater.”
“He’s an example because of that, because of his leadership as well, because of the goals he’s scored. So, he’s another player in the team who is there to help us.”
“I think we need all individuals for the team to work collectively,” Conceicao said.
Meanwhile, the Juventus winger – who has become a regular for the Old Lady since his permanent move from FC Porto last summer for a transfer fee of around £27.5m – says he is used to pressure on the big stage.
“I think we are all used to pressure. We all play in big clubs and pressure will always be there. We are used to it, we know that when things don’t go well, there will always be more pressure, more criticism. It’s up to us to give the best answer in the next game, to show quality, to win, and to follow our path,” he said.
“As you can imagine, I think when things are not going well, we are the first to feel it. I think there is nothing worse than us when things are not going well.”
“I think it’s more about that. We ourselves feel that our work is not done as well as it should be in that regard. However, the pressure, as I said, I think it’s there,” he said.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language.
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