Bold Prediction on Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup Future Made by Ex-USMNT Coach

What will the future hold for Cristiano Ronaldo after Portugal‘s embarrassing 1-1 draw with DR Congo in the opening round of the 2026 World Cup.

A former USMNT head coach holds a disparate opinion than that of the general public, as he foresees a big performance coming from the Portuguese star.

“There’s no way I’m dropping Cristiano Ronaldo — not even a split second,” said Jürgen Klinsmann, who led the USMNT from 2011-16. “Because sooner or later, he’s scores the most important goals for you.”

He added later, “For sure there is criticism. For sure the media goes up and down. But that’s part of it. You move on to Game 2 and Cristiano Ronaldo will score a couple goals in this ballgame. I have zero doubts.”

While it was a tough result for Portugal in DR Congo‘s World Cup debut, Klinsmann has advised fans of Portugal to remain patient. He believes good things are coming for their native son.

“The most important goals are not in Game 1,” added the former USMNT HC. “And they are not against Congo. Does he want to score against Congo? For sure he wants to score.”

Klinsmann then harkened back to another unlikely result in recent Word Cup history, in 2022, when Argentina fell to Saudi Arabia 2-1 in its opener before rebounding to win the championship for the first time since 1986. Argentinian star Lionel Messi failed to find the back of the net in that game but finished the tournament with seven goals.

“This is your guy,” said Klinsmann of Ronaldo. “Your team is built around Cristiano Ronaldo.”

The Portuguese are still searching for the first title in the country’s World Cup history, and based on Klinsmann’s remarks, he believes a championship is still very much in play. Portugal will take on Uzbekistan in their second game of the World Cup on Tuesday at 1 p.m.

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This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 3:11 PM.