World Cup 2026: ‘We Must Keep Him’ — Spain Goalkeeper Warns Of Dangerous Ronaldo

Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon has described Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo as a major threat inside the penalty area despite his advancing age, ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash.

Spain and Portugal will face off on Monday at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington in one of the most anticipated fixtures of the knockout stage.

At 41, Ronaldo is the oldest captain featuring at this year’s World Cup in North America and has continued to impress, scoring three goals in four matches.

The Portugal forward made history earlier in the tournament by becoming the first player to score in six different FIFA World Cups after finding the net during the group stage.

His latest goal came in Portugal’s 2-1 comeback victory over Croatia in the Round of 32, where he converted a penalty to level the scores before Goncalo Ramos struck the winning goal in stoppage time.

Speaking ahead of Monday’s encounter, Simon acknowledged that Ronaldo may no longer possess the explosive pace of his younger years but insisted that his goalscoring instincts remain exceptional.

“The Cristiano of today is not the same as the one from six or seven years ago during his prime. However, it is evident that we must keep him as far from the box as possible because when he is inside the box, he is decisive,” the Spain goalkeeper said.

Ronaldo also scored twice in Portugal’s 5-0 group-stage victory over Uzbekistan, becoming the oldest player to score a brace at the tournament.

His strike against Croatia was also his first knockout-stage goal of the competition, underlining his continued importance to Portugal as they pursue another World Cup title.

Monday’s encounter is expected to be a closely contested battle, with Spain aiming to contain Ronaldo’s finishing ability while Portugal look to secure a place in the quarter-finals.