Ruben Dias says Portugal are ignoring outside criticism and focusing on their World Cup campaign after a disappointing draw against DR Congo.
Portugal defender Ruben Dias has insisted that the national team is paying little attention to the criticism surrounding their World Cup campaign following a frustrating opening draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Seleção were held to a 1-1 draw by the African side, who are making their first World Cup appearance in more than five decades. Despite dominating possession and completing over 700 passes, Portugal struggled to break down a disciplined Congolese defence and managed just one shot on target throughout the match.
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Much of the post-match discussion has centred on captain Cristiano Ronaldo. The 41-year-old forward has now gone 10 major tournament matches without a goal dating back to the 2022 World Cup, leading to renewed questions about his role in the team despite his status as Portugal’s all-time leading scorer.
However, Dias made it clear that neither he nor his teammates are allowing the outside noise to affect their focus. Speaking at Portugal’s training camp, the Manchester City defender described the criticism as a normal part of tournament football and something the squad has learned to block out.
“The criticism is not significant for us. It’s noise and part of the competition,” Dias told reporters. “It always happens when you have a match that doesn’t go well. We’re closing ourselves off from unnecessary criticism.”
One of the most notable critiques came from former France striker Thierry Henry, who suggested Ronaldo appeared more focused on scoring himself than helping the team. Henry argued that Portugal’s priority should be collective success and claimed the veteran forward was sometimes occupying spaces where teammates were better positioned to finish chances.
Dias refused to single out his captain and instead highlighted Ronaldo’s vast experience in dealing with pressure. He noted that the Portuguese icon has spent years operating under intense scrutiny at club and international level and remains fully capable of handling the attention that comes with another World Cup campaign.
The centre-back also confirmed that he is ready to feature in Portugal’s next match against Uzbekistan after missing the opener while recovering from injury. Dias expects another difficult challenge, with Uzbekistan likely to adopt a defensive setup similar to the one that frustrated Portugal in their opening game.
