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In 2022, Lionel Messi was the beneficiary of the ultimate World Cup fairytale in what appeared to be the ending of his international career.
Now, Cristiano Ronaldo has the opportunity to match his greatest rival, as he has tried to do his entire career, but there are question marks surrounding his starter status for Portugal.
The World Cup has not been the Portuguese maestro's playground, in an otherwise near spotless career, but new data has given Portugal an easy decision regarding his playing time this tournament.
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Cristiano Ronaldo's starter status is now an easy decision for Portugal at the World Cup, new data shows
Famously, Ronaldo has never scored in the World Cup knock-outs, despite being often touted as the man for the big occasion.
The Portuguese maestro's career has been largely stain-free, with a UEFA European Championship victory and Champions League 'three-peat' under his belt over the years.
New data has shown how Ronaldo has been able to maintain an elite level of play this season, now 41 years old and ready to make one final impact on the biggest of international stages.
WHOOP data has revealed that during the 2025/26 season, in which Ronaldo finally achieved an elusive Saudi Pro League title, the Portuguese icon did nearly everything right off the pitch.
While leading Al-Nassr to top-flight jubilation, the 41-year-old entered a remarkable 45 out of 46 matches in the Yellow or Green zones, according to WHOOP data.
Those zones dictate how ready a player is in terms of fitness and recovery to play at an elite level during the match.
Amazingly, Ronaldo achieved a rate of 98% match readiness, using saunas, ice baths, warm baths, breath work, stretching and red light to build elite performance.
WHOOP data tracks the science behind how a player can optimise their performance through off the pitch actions.
At 41, off the back of a remarkable veteran season leading his club side to domestic glory, Portugal have an easy decision to make regarding his starter status at the World Cup 2026.
If the goal involvements, of which he had 34 in 37 matches, weren't enough to guarantee a place for Portugal, his consummate professionalism and dedication off the pitch surely should be.
Ronaldo's Woop data in full – Key data points
• Entered 45 of 46 matches in either the Green or Yellow recovery zones (98% match readiness)
• Averaged 65.6 recovery on match mornings throughout the season and recorded an 8-day Green recovery streak
• Maintained an average match strain of 15.0 across 46 games
• Sauna emerged as the strongest recovery habit, associated with a +5.7 point recovery boost, followed by Ice Bath (+4.7), Warm Bath (+4.2), Breathwork (+3.5), Stretching (+3.3) and Red Light Therapy (+2.8)
Elite performance is built in the hours between training sessions, travel, recovery, and sleep. Ronaldo's data offers a rare look into how an athlete sustains world-class performance over decades, not just seasons.
