How do you solve a problem like Ronaldo?

Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo has failed to score in his past 10 World Cup and European Championship appearances, despite having 33 shots By Marcus Alves BBC Sport Published 13 minutes ago Fake quotes on social media. Unprecedented post-match interviews. Rumour mill in overdrive. Cristiano Ronaldo's record-equalling sixth and final World Cup was always going to grab headlines, though perhaps not as early in the tournament as we have seen and for the reasons listed above. It all started with a sub-par performance from the 41-year-old in Portugal's 1-1 draw with DR Congo in their World Cup opener. Then a regular post-match interview from Joao Neves was blown out of proportion and the Portugal camp was thrown into chaos. Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Joao Neves (left) scored Portugal's only goal in their game against DR Congo Neves is no stranger to facing the media in difficult circumstances. In March 2024, Benfica had just been humiliated 5-0 by rivals Porto. Despite having lost his mother only a few days before, it fell to the then 19-year-old, in his first senior season as a regular starter, to explain the result at the final whistle. When compared with that night at the Dragao stadium, last week's 1-1 draw with DR Congo in Portugal's World Cup opener felt understandably insignificant, as frustrating as it was. And yet Neves' words in that post-match interview threw the country into crisis before the Uzbekistan game on Tuesday (18:00 BST). The Paris St-Germain midfielder had been asked about Ronaldo's role in the Portugal squad. "We know what Ronaldo has done for our national team, but at this moment I feel that for him, and for everyone, he's one of us. He's one more player trying to help, he's no different to the others. He's here to contribute like we all will," Neves said. What followed was a backlash that few could have anticipated. Ronaldo fans flooded the social media accounts of Neves, Bruno Fernandes and others, accusing them of not respecting the Portugal captain. Even by Ronaldo's standards as a global superstar, the reaction felt unprecedented. "It highlights the risk of a civil war that could emerge within the national team," said Anibal Pinto of the Record newspaper. Ronaldo confirms 2026 World Cup will be his last Published 11 November 2025 'The team needs to score, not you' - Ronaldo struggles as rivals sparkle Published 5 days ago Are Portugal better without Ronaldo - and is he undroppable? Published 6 days ago It could have all been irrelevant, however, had members of Ronaldo's inner circle not taken part in it too. His partner, Georgina Rodriguez, reacted to a fake quote attributed to Neves' girlfriend, Madalena Aragao, before later deleting her comment, while his sisters Katia and Elma Aveiro shared posts suggesting there had been an attempt to freeze him out of the team. On CMTV - Portugal's most-watched TV channel, in which Ronaldo is a shareholder - pundit and lawyer Lui