Clement Biedron, Media365, published on Saturday, June 8, 2024 at 7:40 pm.
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez stressed during a press conference before facing Croatia next Saturday in a friendly match the benefit of choosing Cristiano Ronaldo for the new Euro tournament.
We already knew that but we have the example again today: we do not touch Cristiano Ronaldo. Portugal will play the second of three friendly matches (against Croatia on June 11) on Saturday before leaving for Germany to participate in the European Championship. Before facing the nation on the chessboard, Roberto Martinez, coach of the 2016 winner, spoke about his selection and especially the man who defines him more than anyone else: Cristiano Ronaldo. At 39 years old and with around 206 caps (128 goals), the striker is already on the former Belgium coach's list, despite being in exile with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia since January 1, 2023. In the Saudi Professional League, “CR7” recently broke the record for the number of goals in a single season with 35 goals.
Despite his success in this new tournament, Cristiano Ronaldo attracts attention and controversy. Which sometimes is not necessarily a good thing. Hence the question of the importance of keeping it. Asked about this by the press, Roberto Martinez defended his player and his choice. “Cristiano has been very consistent with his club,” the coach noted. “There is no doubt that he is an incredible goalscorer.”
CR7 Experience
Despite his age and the supposed weakness of the Saudi championship, there is one thing that cannot be taken away from the Mancunian, and that is his experience, and his coach did not hesitate to remind him of that. “He will play his sixth Euro. (…) It is a unique performance in the world of football, and this experience will be important for us. Cristiano is ready to help the team and give everything he has. No other player can bring what he brings to the dressing room.” Along with Pepe and Rui Patricio, Portugal have some solid pillars who will be able to oversee the younger generation such as Antonio Silva (20 years old), Goncalo Inacio (22 years old), Nuno Mendes (21 years old), Joao Neves (21 years old), Luis Enrique (19 years old), Goncalo Ramos (22 years old), and Francisco Conceicao (21 years old). Cristiano Ronaldo may have a strong place in the Seleção, but he is also not guaranteed to be a starter as he has to deal with strong competition around him with Rafael Leao, Joao Felix, Pedro Neto, Diogo Jota, Conceicao and Ramos. But his tendency to score in European matches (14 goals in 25 European appearances) speaks in his favour.
