Ghanaian Kevin-Prince Boateng criticized the performance of Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, saying that the Portugal captain should give younger players a chance if his country wants to compete strongly in the 2026 World Cup.

Boateng said in statements to “SBS Sport”: “If Cristiano Ronaldo is a true team player, he should step back a little and let the younger players shine, because Portugal is a better team without him.”

He explained: “When he is on the field, there is tremendous pressure on everyone, because every player wants to pass the ball to him.”

He added: “I understand that very well, because I played alongside big stars of this type. Everyone wants to focus on him and give him the opportunity to score. I know that he is always looking for records, and he has already broken most of them.”

The former Ghanaian player continued: “We were all big fans of him, but if Portugal wants to go far in the tournament, I think Ronaldo should take a step back, let the others play, and then participate during the last 15 or 20 minutes to decide the matches and make the difference.”

Boateng concluded his statements by saying: “We all reach an age where we cannot play the same way we are used to, and I think Ronaldo has reached this stage. We must be honest about that.” (Erm News)