Cannavaro faces Cristiano Ronaldo: ‘It’s not a head-to-head’

Fabio Cannavaro has called Cristiano Ronaldo “one of the greatest” and said Portugal give Uzbekistan myriad reasons to be “afraid” as the World Cup winner prepares his side to face the Selecao on Tuesday in their second-ever match at the finals.

The White Wolves were level until the 65th minute of their opening 3-1 defeat to Colombia, playing after Ronaldo attracted criticism with a quiet display in the Selecao’s 1-1 draw with DR Congo.

“We need to be very focused on him because Cristiano can score in every type of situation: free-kicks, even from a corner,” said Cannavaro, who netted in Italy’s 3-1 win over a Portugal side captained by Ronaldo in a friendly in 2008.

“We need to be careful when we are in our box because we cannot leave these types of players alone.”

World Cup 2026: How Ronaldo is ‘the best’

Captain Ronaldo had his second-fewest touches ever in a World Cup match against the Leopards, only taking possession less in a 1-0 win over the Netherlands in 2006 featuring four red cards.

Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez has continued to defend his selection of the 41-year-old, who is his country’s record 143-goal scorer but has not netted in his last five matches at the World Cup and has one goal in his eight most recent games at the finals.

“When you have the ball, you need a lot of personality,” explained Martinez. “You need a lot of clarity on how to get into the opposition area, but you need that player who opens up spaces in the final movement.

“And Cristiano is the best at doing that. The numbers reflect it – and not the numbers of the icon that is Cristiano Ronaldo, but rather the player of the current national team, if you look at the last 32 games.

“He is the player who has that movement, the opening of space, the off-the-ball movement, the finishing… he is, in a way, the final piece within the game model we have in Portugal.”

The oldest outfield player at the finals, Ronaldo had started in each of Portugal’s previous 18 matches at the tournaent before he came on as a second-half substitute during the last-16 win over Switzerland and quarter-final defeat to Morocco at the 2022 edition.

Portugal vs Uzbekistan: Martinez on World Cup pressure

Considered contenders for the title, Portugal have one of the most experienced squads at the finals, containing an array of hugely successful players at club level.

After Paris Saint-Germain’s Joao Neves headed Portugal in front in the sixth minute in Houston, Newcastle’s Yoane Wissa followed suit for DR Congo during first-half added time to earn his nation their first-ever point at the finals.

Martinez sent on Francisco Conceicao for Bernardo Silva at half-time and made second-half attacking changes by bringing on Rafael Leao and Goncalo Ramos for Pedro Neto and Vitinha, but Portugal had one attempt on target and DR Congo looked the likelier late winners.

The Spaniard said he “hasn’t had a game without noise” since “the first day” of his reign in January 2023.

“Noise directed at the coach, noise directed at anyone,” he added. “We’ve already shown that the team is experienced, focused and responsible, and we’ve reached a good level on the pitch.

“We’re at a World Cup. There’s a lot of noise here, and that’s part of it. The focus in the dressing room is to show responsibility, to show attitude, to have everything a player in the national team needs and to be self-critical in order to improve and be ready.

“That’s what I see in the dressing room. We’re focused, we’re very strong and I can say that the group is now more united than before the World Cup.

“It’s a process; it’s already been 22 days of work, and the noise doesn’t get into the locker room. I can say that.”

World Cup 2026: How Uzbekistan can ‘come out with a result’

At 54th in FIFA’s rankings, Uzbekistan are 45 places below Portugal but one above Ireland, who beat Martinez’s side 2-0 in qualifying last November and scored both of their goals before Ronaldo was dismissed.

“We cannot only be focused on one player, Cristiano,” 2006 world champion Cannavaro was understandably keen to emphasise.

“We know that he is one of the greatest players ever but we know that Portugal have more good players and talent, even on the bench.

“This isn’t a head-to-head match against Cristiano. This is a match against one of the best teams here at the World Cup.

“When you go to look at Portugal, you’re going to be afraid because they have two very strong wingers, they have one of the best midfields in the world, they have one of the best forwards in football history. So it’s not easy.

“But we are here at the World Cup. We have to play the match and we have to work as a team, because that’s the only way to come out of here with a result.

“If we think about playing on an individual level, it’s going to be very, very complicated.”

Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal World Cup 2026 schedule

Here’s how Portugal’s schedule looks and their potential subsequent fixtures, as well as how to watch in the UK.