Portugal may have taken a dramatic place in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, but their victory against Croatia has increased the debate Cristiano RonaldoHis place in the starting XI came after legendary striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic gave a blistering assessment of the veteran forward. Speaking as a pundit on Fox Sports, Ibrahimovic questioned whether Roberto Martinez’s team could really challenge for the 2026 FIFA World Cup while continuing to build their attack around the 41-year-old. Ronaldo:. “Portuguese fans can expect what happened. You can’t expect to win anything in 2026 with a 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo leading the attack. Especially since Ramos is on the bench, who came and scored,” said Ibrahimovic. The former AC Milan and Manchester United star has argued that Ronaldo’s place in the side is driven more by his legendary status than his current performances. Ibrahimovic believes the Portuguese captain no longer possesses the movement or finishing ability that once made him one of football’s most feared strikers. “This is not ‘legendary leadership.’ It’s the ego that holds the team hostage. Ronaldo lost his touch and movement. Now he was only in the box… At this point, his aura supported him more than his legs. To continue to initiate him is pure folly driven by nostalgia,” he added. The criticism came despite Portugal making a thrilling late comeback against Croatia to book a last 16 meeting with Spain. Croatia looked on course for victory after Ivan Perisic opened the scoring, but Ronaldo brought Portugal level from the penalty spot. The goal was a significant personal milestone, marking his first strike in the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup during his record-extending sixth appearance at the tournament. With extra time seemingly inevitable, Portugal found a dramatic victory in the 94th minute. Rafael Leão delivered a cross into the box and Gonçalo Ramos headed in the decisive header, sending Martinez’s side to a 2-1 victory. Croatia thought they had forced extra time into stoppage time when Josko Gvardiol smashed the ball into the net from a goalmouth scramble. However, after a lengthy VAR review, the officials ruled Igor Matanovic offside in the build-up, disallowing the goal and preserving Portugal’s lead. The result extends Portugal’s unbeaten record against Croatia in the competition and sets up a blockbuster Round of 16 clash against Spain on July 7 (12:30 AM local time). Although Portugal have improved, the performance has done little to quiet the discussion about Ronaldo’s role in the team. Ibrahimovic’s comments only fueled that conversation, with the Swedish great insisting Portugal’s World Cup ambitions could be damaged if they continue to rely on their iconic captain as the center of attack.