Ronaldo missed two penalties in just 10 days, something that had never happened to him before.

On October 19, Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty kick in Al Nassr’s 5-1 victory over Al Fateh in the 5th round of the Saudi Pro League. In the 59th minute of the match at Al-Awwal Park, Ronaldo was facing a penalty kick but could not successfully execute it. This was CR7’s second missed penalty kick in 10 days.

7 days ago, in the 2026 World Cup qualifying match between Portugal and Ireland at the Jose Alvalade home stadium in Lisbon, Ronaldo could not beat goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher from 11 meters away. Ronaldo’s shot went straight into the middle of the goal, allowing Kelleher to block it with his foot.

Marca quoted psychologist Carol from the University of Lisbon as saying that Ronaldo seems to have mental problems. He can no longer maintain his coolness and decisiveness on the penalty spot. Don’t forget that Ronaldo has always been one of the best penalty takers in the world.

“Ronaldo’s penalty miss against Ireland was a sign that he was not confident in his ability,” Carol said. “His subsequent miss at Al Nassr reinforced this.”

This is the first time CR7 has encountered such a lack of confidence, causing fans to question the 40-year-old superstar. Could it be that the pressure of reaching the 1,000-goal mark and the near-term peak of his playing time has caused Ronaldo to waver mentally?