Portugal‘s Francisco Conceição dismissed claims on Sunday that the team feels pressured to always seek out Cristiano Ronaldo during matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“There’s no obligation or need to always pass to him,” Conceição stated. “Ronaldo is an inspiration because of the determination he shows every day, as if it’s his final training session.”
Critics turned their attention to Portugal and Ronaldo after the team’s 1-1 draw with Congo DR in their opening match.
Roberto Martínez’s squad resumed training on Sunday, gearing up for their crucial Group K matchup against Uzbekistan on Tuesday, as they seek their first tournament win.
During a press conference ahead of training in Palm Beach, Florida, Conceição highlighted that “no one” matches Ronaldo’s goal-scoring ability and noted that the experienced forward is present at the World Cup “to contribute,” just like all players.
“I believe Cristiano is unparalleled in terms of his goalscoring. We don’t feel the need to pass to him specifically,” Conceição explained. “Personally, I choose to pass to whoever is best positioned at that moment. There isn’t time to analyze who is beside me; we rely on instinct during split-second decisions. Cristiano is here to assist, just like every other player on the team.”
At 23, Conceição made his World Cup debut in the draw against Congo DR, 24 years after his father, Sérgio Conceição, represented Portugal in the World Cup held in South Korea and Japan.
“Cristiano serves as a role model because of his illustrious career and the relentless passion he demonstrates every day, even at 41. His motivation during training is comparable to that of someone in their final session,” Conceição remarked.
“For me and the younger generation, seeing his drive is an inspiration. If he has achieved so much and still maintains such determination, we must have an even greater hunger to reach similar heights. He embodies leadership and goal-scoring prowess, and he’s an additional asset to our team who is here to support us. We need all individual talents to make the collective succeed.”
Juventus winger Conceição, who has been a consistent presence for the Serie A club since his transfer from FC Porto last summer for approximately £27.5 million ($36.5M), mentioned that he is accustomed to performing under pressure.
“All of us are familiar with pressure. We play at major clubs, where expectations are always high. We’ve learned that when things don’t go well, the scrutiny heightens. It’s important for us to respond with quality in the next match, showcase our abilities, and stay the course,” he noted.
“Naturally, when performances falter, we are the ones most affected,” he added. “No one feels the disappointment more than we do when results don’t come our way. Ultimately, it’s about feeling we didn’t execute our roles as well as we could. But still, pressure is always a factor.”