Ronaldo is here again! Forty-year-old man, is he helping or dragging him down in Portugal?

at 3:00 am on June 5, UEFA Nations League semi-finals, Germany vs. Portugal.

40-year-old Ronaldo won the championship trophy for two and a half years in Saudi Arabia United Riyadh. His contract expires this summer and whether to renew his contract is pending. For Portugal, what other role can this old superstar play?

Portuguese coach Martinez firmly supports the veteran: "Royce's physical examination information shows that he is in good health and can play without any problems." But in this key battle against Germany, whether Ronaldo's existence is wealth or burden has become the most complex puzzle in Portuguese football.

40-year-old Ronaldo is still breaking the boundaries of football history. This evergreen in football maintains a dazzling record array: the national team's historical scorer king (131 goals), the first scorer in the Champions League history (140 goals), and the national team scored 25 goals for 22 consecutive years. In the AFC Champions League two days before his birthday on February 5, 2025, he scored twice, pushing his career goals to 923. Behind the brilliant numbers, Ronaldo's light on the big stage is weakening. The 2024 European Cup became a watershed in his career - he did not win five appearances, ending the legendary record of scoring goals in 10 consecutive competitions. What is even more alarming is that he missed the shortlist of 30 players for the Golden Globes for two consecutive years.

The data halo of the Saudi League is difficult to hide the reality: when Ronaldo staggered in the 2024 European Cup, critics have pointed out that he "basically degenerated into a pancake striker", and even said that he "had a shot under his feet, and he can't do anything except penalty kicks."

Royce's existence puts Portugal in a delicate balance. This golden generation, known by Martinez as "the best Portuguese team in the past decade", has the top midfield configuration in Europe, but the tactical focus has always revolved around a 40-year-old striker.

When Ronaldo occupied the center position, young people such as Leo and Neto from the Portuguese sideline had to give up space. In the European League match against Croatia, Leo only scored 6.6 points, and Neto was as low as 6.2 points and 8, which was in contrast to Ronaldo's 7.7 points - young players could not shine under the shadow of Ronaldo. The deeper contradiction lies in the prospects of the 2026 World Cup. When asked whether Ronaldo, 41, should compete in the US, Canada and Mexico, teammate Dalot said: "As a Portuguese, I hope he can do it." And Fellow's answer was meaningful: "He has to feel in good shape, it depends on himself." This subtle disagreement hints at the undercurrent of the locker room.

The opponent Germany on June 5 is exactly the "intellectual demon" of Ronaldo and Portugal. In 17 matches in history, Germany has an absolute advantage in 9 wins, 5 draws and 3 losses. The 2-4 defeat in the 2021 European Cup is still vivid in my mind: Gosenz made a pass and shot, Portugal won two own goals in a row, and Germany became the first team to score 4 goals in a single game against the defending European Cup champion.

That loss exposed Portugal's fatal weakness in the era of Ronaldo - when the opponent cuts off the counterattack line and attacks the side, the Portuguese defense line is prone to chaos. Now the German coach is also well aware of this, and it is difficult for Ronaldo to use his back defense to make up for tactical loopholes.

Martinez sees the semi-finals as a "good opportunity to prepare for the World Cup", but for Ronaldo, this may be the last scene of his national team legend. The sharpest spear in football history is in the final battle against time, the most ruthless opponent.

The ultimate problem is right in front of you: letting Ronaldo appear as a substitute as a spiritual leader may maximize his efficiency; while insisting on starting may continue to expose the risk of offense and defense imbalance. The flank defense flaws exposed against Germany in 2021 may be magnified again if Ronaldo finds it difficult to return to defense.

There may be two clocks hanging on the walls of the Portuguese locker room: on one side, Ronaldo's 929 professional goals, and on the other side, he is embarrassed by 0 goals in 5 games in the 2024 European Cup. In the match against Germany, Martinez faced the most difficult multiple-choice question in modern football - whether to make the legend complete or let the future bloom.