France football legend Youri Djorkaeff has criticised Portugal’s players for what he described as their failure to properly support captain Cristiano Ronaldo during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Djorkaeff, a member of France’s 1998 World Cup-winning squad, said Portugal did not build the team around Ronaldo and suggested the veteran forward was effectively “boycotted” by his teammates.

“When you have Cristiano Ronaldo, the team must adapt to play for him, which did not occur at all. One could argue that he was boycotted by his own teammates,” Djorkaeff told The Real Champs, as quoted by RMC Sport.

“They failed to support him and did not create optimal conditions for his performance. What disappointed me about Portugal, despite its considerable talent, was the tendency for everyone to shift the burden onto Cristiano,” he added.

The former French international also said players such as Vitinha and Bruno Fernandes should have taken greater responsibility instead of relying heavily on Ronaldo.

“At some point, players like Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes and others needed to rise to the occasion and share the responsibility. It is unreasonable to expect Cristiano to be the sole solution to every problem. He is not the only player capable of making a significant impact,” Djorkaeff said.

Ronaldo has already announced that the 2026 tournament was his final FIFA World Cup. However, the Portugal captain has yet to confirm whether he will retire from international football altogether.