Portugal captain and legend Cristiano Ronaldo’s position within the national team had come under question during the 2022 Qatar World Cup, when the talismanic striker was replaced in their knockout games against South Korea and Morocco. However, newly-appointed head coach for the national team Roberto Martinez has chosen him for the squads in this summer’s Euros qualifiers, and squashed any rumours of the greatest ever international goalscorer being removed from the setup.
The questions came to a rise under former coach Fernando Santos, who started with Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos in the match against South Korea — a decision which proved to be a good one as Ramos scored a hat-trick in a 6-1 win. The same system was used for the following match against Morocco, which ended in a disappointing loss for the Portuguese team, and resulted in the removal of Santos from the helm after disappointing and uninspiring outings in recent major tournaments.
Martinez, who has previously managed Belgium’s golden generation of players to a third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup, was named as replacement, and has come out in support of his selection of Ronaldo, following questions given the superstar striker’s transfer to Al Nassr in the Saudi Arabian Pro League.
“Playing in a non-European club is sometimes an advantage when playing in the national team,” said Martinez in a press conference. “We have three ways of analysing a player: individual quality, experience and commitment. Cristiano’s commitment is complete. He is an example for the locker room, an example for Portuguese and world football. He has played 198 matches for the national team.”
Ronaldo has scored 122 times in those 198 matches, including a stellar campaign at the 2016 Euros, in which he led his team to a major international trophy. He has been Portugal’s captain for 15 years now, and continues to hold his place in the team, although it isn’t clear whether he will be a sure-shot starter over the likes of Ramos and Joao Felix at the striker position.
Martinez made clear that Ronaldo’s vast experience and leadership qualities are essential for the make-up of his team, alongside those of veteran defender Pepe. “Cristiano and Pepe are examples of Portuguese football, and we need them to pass all the experience and wisdom to the youngest players.” There is a host of capable young attacking talent in the Portugal team: alongside Ramos and Felix is exciting AC Milan winger Rafael Leao, who has perhaps been Portugal’s most consistent attacking threat with his club team.
Ronaldo did score 14 times in 16 appearances for Al Nassr, but it was a tough season for him, as he struggled to adjust to the tough playing conditions of the Middle East. He joined his new club from Manchester United when they were in first place, but saw them dip down into second over the course of the season, having to settle for the silver medal. He has, however, scored 4 goals in his last 2 games for the Portuguese national team, albeit against relative minnows in Liechtenstein and Luxembourg.
Martinez did also warn Ronaldo that he will be expected to do his part. “Like any other player, he [Ronaldo] needs to train well in order to play. We need a high-performance environment with competition for our players,” concluded the Spaniard.
38-year-old Ronaldo’s career might be coming to a close after a tough spell at Manchester United, but he will no doubt be targeting a farewell tournament with Portugal at the 2024 Euros in Germany. The prolific superstar and his Portugal team will face off against Bosnia and Herzegovina tonight in Lisbon as part of their Euro qualifiers.
