José Fonte, former teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo, has no doubt that the Portuguese captain can make a difference at the World Cup. The former Portuguese international also points to a Portugal-Argentina quarter-final.
José Fonte has no doubt that Cristiano Ronaldo will be “very important” for Portugal at the 2026 World Cup and that he will prove he remains a dangerous opponent. In an interview with talkSPORT on Thursday, the 42-year-old Portuguese international heaped praise on his compatriot and highlighted how CR7 manages to transmit confidence to the group.
“What more can we say about Cristiano? I think he has been a great inspiration in football, not just in Portugal. He is adored by everyone around the world. He has won everything. He has competed with Messi for everything. So, the two are undoubtedly from another world,” Fonte began.
“Cristiano is still in that phase of being an important figure in the team. He can still score and still contribute to the team, to the coach. So, I think he will be very, very important in the World Cup with his presence and his finishing ability,” pointed out the Casa Pia defender.
When asked about the weight of having Cristiano Ronaldo on the team, José Fonte recalled an interview with Marcelo, the former Brazilian international who played for Real Madrid.
“I was spending some time on Instagram while getting a massage and I saw a video where Marcelo says that, during his time at Real Madrid, Cristiano used to tell him to hold the game for 15/20 minutes, that he would score the first goal: ‘I’ll take care of it’. You can imagine, when you have someone who can transmit that confidence, that belief and that calmness that he will solve it… It’s enormous. So, I’m sure he will prove, in this World Cup, that he is still someone very, very dangerous. You will have to deal with him,” he predicted.
Regarding Cristiano Ronaldo’s camaraderie, the former European champion with Portugal in 2016 points to leadership by example.
“He’s a fantastic guy. As you can imagine, he’s very competitive, obsessed with winning, with working hard, but always striving to be the best. I believe that’s the only way to compete at the highest level for so many years and win so many trophies. You have to be obsessed with work and obsessed with the desire to win. Credit to him for having that ability to never let up,” he emphasized.
