Portuguese Agent on Ronaldo: "The Real Test Begins After Uzbekistan"

Portuguese football agent Paulo Barboza expressed sharp views on Cristiano Ronaldo following the Portugal vs Uzbekistan match in the second round of the 2026 World Cup group stage.

The 41-year-old striker scored a brace in the match, contributing significantly to Portugal's dominant 5-0 victory. Additionally, Ronaldo ended a 10-game goal drought in World Cup and European Championship matches for the national team.

After the match, Cristiano declared, "I am back!" However, Paulo Barboza viewed these words with skepticism.

"Back after the game against Uzbekistan? Where was he before then? What about the previous 10 important matches? I am specifically referring to the World Cup and European Championship games.

In those matches, Cristiano failed to provide serious help to the national team with goals. He failed to score against Morocco in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals and against France in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals," the agent said.

While Barboza acknowledged Ronaldo's success against Uzbekistan, he emphasized that much more serious challenges lie ahead.

"Now it appears he has returned after the Uzbekistan game. Fine, I am happy for him. But we must not forget the previous major tournaments. Now we wait for the match against Colombia," he said.

During the interview, the agent was asked how important it is for Ronaldo to score more goals than Lionel Messi in this World Cup. Messi has currently scored five goals in the tournament.

Barboza stated that Cristiano's personal ambitions are known to everyone and compared him to Portuguese legend Eusébio.

"We had Eusébio. He participated in only one World Cup and scored nine goals in 1966. Ronaldo surpassed him yesterday and now has 10 goals. But he achieved this result over six World Cups. Everything becomes clear when compared," the specialist said.

Based on current results, Paulo Barboza named Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, Harry Kane, and Lamine Yamal as the main contenders for the Ballon d'Or. He added that Neymar's condition should also be monitored after his return to the pitch.

When asked if Ronaldo could be included in this list, the agent gave a negative answer.

"I don't think Ronaldo will be a serious contender for this award. Of course, anything can happen in football. But there are no more opponents of Uzbekistan's level left in our group. Whether he can score in the next matches is a big question," Barboza said.

Currently, Portugal is in second place in Group K with 4 points. Uzbekistan, with zero points, is at the bottom of the table.

In the decisive round of the group stage, Portugal will face Colombia, while the Uzbekistan national team will compete against the Democratic Republic of the Congo.