Roberto Martinez, the coach of the Portuguese national team, defended Cristiano Ronaldo, the team’s captain, and Al Nassr amidst doubts about his ability to play a key role in the UEFA European Championship "Euro 2024" taking place in Germany. Ronaldo participated in Portugal's victory over the Czech Republic (2-1) last Tuesday, during the opening round of Group Six in the tournament. He played the entire match but did not manage to score, although he was the only player in the first round who was able to take three shots on target.
The Portuguese national team is preparing to face Turkey tomorrow, Saturday, in the second round of the group stage. Martinez was asked in a press conference held today, Friday, whether it makes sense to keep Ronaldo on the field for 90 minutes throughout the tournament, considering he does not continuously threaten the goal. The Spanish coach responded, "Can I ask you a question? Do you know how many minutes Ronaldo played (with Al Nassr) last season?"
He further emphasized, as reported by Portuguese newspaper "Record," "Does Ronaldo have experience? Of course, he does. No other player in history has participated in six editions of the European Championship." Martinez continued, "It is important to understand what the player brings. Cristiano provides experience, creates scoring opportunities, and opens spaces."
Martinez reiterated his statement before the match against the Czech Republic, saying, "Ronaldo is in the Portuguese national team because he deserves to be here. Just look at what he did last season and what he has done in past editions of the tournament."
Regarding whether it is necessary to deploy another player close to Ronaldo in the team's playing style, the coach explained, "I think he shot three times on target, which makes him the most active player in this regard in the first round. He was very disciplined, worked hard, and is a fierce attacking player and a very important player in the box."
He added, "Ronaldo opens spaces as we saw in Francisco's goal (against the Czech Republic). We work with focus, and Cristiano is important for what we are trying to achieve in the penalty area. We want to progress with five, six, or seven players into the final third. Portugal’s style is not to play directly. Ronaldo is not a traditional center forward."
Ronaldo had an amazing season with Al Nassr, even though the team won only the Arab Club Championship last summer. The forward played 45 matches with Al Nassr, totaling 3,975 minutes, scoring 44 goals and assisting in 13 others. He scored 35 goals in the Saudi Pro League, earning the top scorer title with an unprecedented tally in the history of the competition.
