Hargreaves defends Ronaldo ahead of a historic sixth World Cup: "This is not selfishness, but an obsession with success"
Owen Hargreaves, the former Manchester United midfielder and former teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo, has once again come to the defense of the Portuguese captain at a time when one of the most famous footballers of the modern era is preparing to appear at the 2026 World Cup. According to official announcements by the Portuguese Football Federation and FIFA, Ronaldo will, at the age of 41, lead Portugal at the tournament in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico, where he is expected to become the first footballer in the men's competition to appear at six World Cups. His role in the national team has once again reopened an old debate: is he an athlete whose hunger for success has sometimes stifled the team, or a rare example of a competitive mentality that has kept a career at the top for more than two decades.
Hargreaves clearly takes the second side in that debate. In earlier statements that have gained new context these days because of the approaching World Cup, the former England international rejected claims that Ronaldo was a selfish player focused exclusively on his own numbers. According to a statement reported by Goal, Hargreaves stressed that Ronaldo is not an "egomaniac" and that he knows very well how to recognize quality in his teammates. Such an assessment comes from a dressing room in which Ronaldo developed from a great talent into a player who won the Champions League, the Premier League and his first Ballon d'Or with Manchester United.
Testimony from the Manchester United dressing room
Hargreaves arrived at Manchester United in 2007, precisely during the period in which Ronaldo was experiencing the fastest rise of his career. United won the Premier League and the Champions League in the 2007/08 season, and UEFA recalls that Ronaldo received the Ballon d'Or that same year after being one of the key players in Alex Ferguson's team. In its review of that season, the Premier League states that the Portuguese scored 31 goals in the league and won the league's Golden Boot, while Manchester United reached its tenth title in the Premier League era. In that environment, Hargreaves saw up close what is often not visible outside the training camp: the daily routine, the repetition of details and the willingness to continue working individually after team training.
According to Hargreaves' description reported by Yahoo Sports, Ronaldo continued with the ball after training, practiced moves, free kicks, went to the gym, worked with weights, used ice baths and paid attention to his diet. Such a description does not fit the image of a player who relies solely on talent or star status. It speaks more of a system of work that enabled Ronaldo to gradually turn from a winger from the first era at Old Trafford into a goalscorer, national team captain and athlete who, even in his fifth decade of life, is preparing for the biggest international stage. Hargreaves' defense of Ronaldo is therefore not only personal loyalty to a former teammate, but also a reminder of how football ambition can be misinterpreted if it is viewed only through gestures on the pitch.
In United's team from that period, Ronaldo did not play in isolation. Around him were Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tévez, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidić, Edwin van der Sar and a number of other players who shaped one of the strongest teams in English football of that decade. Hargreaves' claim that Ronaldo knew how to appreciate the quality of his teammates is important precisely because of the context of such a dressing room. In a competitive group full of winners, individual ambition did not necessarily mean separation from the team, but constant pressure to raise the standard even higher.
Ronaldo on the verge of a record no one has yet achieved
According to FIFA data, the 2026 World Cup will run from June 11 to July 19, and for the first time it will bring together 48 national teams and feature 104 matches. Portugal is in Group K with DR Congo, Uzbekistan and Colombia, and according to FIFA's schedule, it will play its first match on June 17, 2026, against DR Congo in Houston. For Ronaldo, that match, if he plays, will have special meaning: after the tournaments in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022, he would also open the sixth global showcase of his career. FIFA already highlights him among the players chasing historic records, and his longevity has become a separate theme of the tournament.
Portugal has officially announced the list of players for the World Cup, and Ronaldo is listed in it as captain and forward of Al Nassr. According to FPF data, he has 226 appearances and 143 goals for the senior Portuguese national team, which keeps him at the top of the historical rankings of men's international football. UEFA also states in its statistics that Ronaldo is the world record holder for the number of goals for a national team and that, since his debut in 2003, he has built numbers that were long considered difficult to reach. In addition, FIFA recalls that in Qatar in 2022 he became the first footballer to score at five different World Cups.
That is precisely why the debate about his role in Portugal in 2026 is not simple. On the one hand, the numbers provide a strong argument for everyone who believes that a player with such experience must still have an important place. On the other hand, in top-level football, a biography cannot play matches by itself, so the question of playing time, pressing, pace and team balance is legitimate. Hargreaves' defense of Ronaldo does not remove that sporting dilemma, but it places it in a broader framework: for him, Ronaldo's need to win was the foundation of professionalism, not proof of selfishness.
The only major empty space in his career
Ronaldo has won almost all the most important trophies available to him at club and national team level during his career. With Portugal he was European champion in 2016, and UEFA states that as captain he also participated in Portugal's successes in the Nations League in 2019 and 2025. UEFA's 2025 report notes that Portugal defeated Spain in the Nations League final after a penalty shootout, with Nuno Mendes and Ronaldo among the key figures in the comeback during the match. In doing so, the national team confirmed that the story built around Ronaldo has long no longer been only about nostalgia, but also about a team that is still winning.
The World Cup, however, remains a gap that neither club titles, nor Ballon d'Or awards, nor European trophies with the national team can fill. Portugal has never been world champion, and FIFA, in its historical overview of Portugal's 1966 performance, recalls that third place in England remains that national team's best result at World Cups. Ronaldo finished fourth with Portugal in 2006 and reached the quarter-finals in 2022, but the final and the title were never within his grasp. That is one of the reasons why his possible last world tournament is seen as the final chapter of one of the greatest individual careers in football history.
In that sense, Hargreaves' message carries both emotional and sporting weight. It reminds us that Ronaldo's path cannot be reduced to the number of goal celebrations, debates about facial expressions after being substituted or the question of who will take a penalty. His career has been built on a constant need to be better, more efficient and longer-lasting than expected. To some, that sometimes looked like excessive self-focus, while for Hargreaves it was a trait without which Ronaldo would not have become the player who, in 2026, is heading toward a new record.
Portugal has depth, but also the question of balance
The Portuguese national team does not arrive at the tournament as a one-player team, although Ronaldo's name will inevitably dominate the headlines. In its presentation of Portugal, FIFA highlights alongside Ronaldo players such as Diogo Costa, Bruno Fernandes, Rafael Leão, João Neves and Bernardo Silva, which shows how wide Roberto Martínez's selection is in almost every line. Such quality can help Ronaldo because it does not require him to carry every phase of play alone, but at the same time it increases the pressure on the coach to define his role precisely. In modern international football, the authority of the captain must fit into the tempo, structure and energy demands of the team.
The British Guardian has in recent days raised the question of whether Ronaldo's presence can be an advantage or a burden for Portugal, especially given his age and the changed physical demands compared with earlier tournaments. Such criticism does not dispute his status, but it shows that every decision about his playing time will be carefully analyzed. Portugal's coaching staff must take into account how much Ronaldo brings in the final third of the attack, how much he affects opposing defenders and how much the team can adapt when it does not have the ball. It is precisely that balance, more than the symbolism of a sixth appearance itself, that will determine how successful his tournament will be.
Hargreaves' view of Ronaldo can serve as a corrective in that debate. He is not only claiming that Ronaldo is a great player, which has long been beyond serious doubt, but that his inner motivation is often misread. In the Manchester United dressing room, according to his testimony, that motivation also pushed others toward a higher standard. If Portugal in 2026 finds a way to turn that energy into collective benefit, Ronaldo will not be only a symbol of the past, but a functional part of a team trying to win its first world title.
A sixth championship as a test of legacy
On June 17 against DR Congo, if Roberto Martínez includes him in the lineup, Ronaldo will open a new chapter of football history. By that date, Portugal will complete its final preparations, and according to the FPF calendar, it also has warm-up matches before the tournament that serve the coach to check form and the distribution of roles. For the 41-year-old captain, every appearance will at the same time be a sporting challenge and a public referendum on how long an elite footballer can remain at the highest level. That is precisely why the defense put forward by Hargreaves resonates more than it would have in an earlier phase of his career.
The football public has for years debated where healthy ambition ends and ego begins. Ronaldo is perhaps the best-known example of that debate because he has spent almost every stage of his career under a microscope, from his early days at Sporting and Manchester United to Real Madrid, Juventus, the return to England, the move to Saudi Arabia and national team records. Hargreaves' testimony from the dressing room does not erase criticism, but it reminds us that a top-level career of such duration cannot be explained only by self-confidence or a desire for attention. It requires discipline, adaptation and readiness for daily work that rarely becomes part of television highlights.
Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, Ronaldo is therefore entering a double race. One is obvious and measurable: to appear at a sixth tournament, increase the number of matches, perhaps add another goal and try to win the only trophy he is missing. The other is more complex: to prove that his presence can still help Portugal as a team, and not only extend his personal legend. Hargreaves believes that this very hunger for success is the reason for Ronaldo's greatness. The coming weeks will show how much that mentality can still be turned into a result on football's biggest stage.
Sources:
- Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) – official profile of Cristiano Ronaldo, national team appearances, goals, date of birth and club in the latest call-up (link)
- Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) – official information about the Portugal national team, the squad for the 2026 World Cup and the preparation schedule (link)
- FIFA – schedule of the 2026 World Cup, competition format, number of national teams and matches (link)
- FIFA – official page of the Portugal - DR Congo match in Group K of the 2026 World Cup (link)
- FIFA – overview of Ronaldo's World Cup goals and the fact that he is the first footballer to score at five editions of the tournament (link)
- FIFA – presentation of Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of the 2026 World Cup and the context of the Portuguese national team (link)
- FIFA – historical overview of Portugal's 1966 result and Portugal's best placing at World Cups (link)
- UEFA – confirmation of Ronaldo's 2008 Ballon d'Or after his period at Manchester United (link)
- Premier League – review of the 2007/08 season and Ronaldo's 31 league goals (link)
- UEFA – report on the 2025 Nations League final in which Portugal won its second title in that competition (link)
- GOAL – Hargreaves' statements about Ronaldo's character and rejection of the claim that he is an "egomaniac" (link)
- Yahoo Sports – Hargreaves' description of Ronaldo's work ethic in Manchester United training sessions (link)
- The Guardian – analysis of the current debate about Cristiano Ronaldo's role in the Portuguese national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup (link)