Roberto Martinez made his thoughts on Cristiano Ronaldo known. The Portuguese superstar scored the winning goal for his team late against Scotland. The goal made it Ronaldo’s 901st career goal, for both club and country, proving him once again to be one of the greatest players to ever grace the football pitch. Roberto Martinez hailed the 39-year-old, emphasizing his importance to the team.
The win against Scotland made it Portugal’s second in a row in the Nations League. Their first was against Croatia last week.
Roberto Martinez Speaks on Ronaldo
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The Portugal coach threw nothing but words of praise towards Cristiano Ronaldo for his exemplary display in their win against Scotland. Martinez said: “Cristiano is in good form. He’s played three matches and scored with his club. We have to protect all the players. He can’t play two consecutive matches of 90 minutes. He has to be there for the end of the match, not the start. I like his commitment.”
He was asked if the team still depends on the 39-year-old: “Dependent on Ronaldo? He’s an incredible player. It’s not dependence; he’s an asset. In front of the goal, he’s crucial. His intelligence in open spaces is important. Speaking of dependence doesn’t make sense.”
Martinez on Pepe and Ronaldo’s Influence
Roberto Martinez also commented on the influence of Ronaldo in general. He added saying: “What an incredible opportunity we have with players like Ronaldo, with players like Pepe, to develop the young players in the dressing room in the best possible way,”
The Spaniard continued, “We’ve got a population of 10 million (in Portugal), and the number of players that we have at the highest levels, it speaks volumes about the development that we have in this country and the talent and the mentality and everything comes from examples like Cristiano and Pepe.”
Roberto Martinez finally concluded: “It changes a lot of mentality when you go abroad and you have to find a way to be important in a dressing room.”
Roberto Martinez on Other Key Players
Martinez commented on Pedro Neto and Rafael Leao as well, and he said: “Rafael Leao hasn’t played 90 minutes yet. Pedro Neto, on the right, hadn’t played 90 minutes either. They came off because we needed fresh players. Rafael Leao and Pedro Neto did their job. Being able to make five changes allows us to do that, to maintain the high level until the end of the game.”
He also spoke about Scotland’s stars, especially Scott McTominay, Billy Gilmour, and Andrew Robertson. He said: “I think the experience of Italian football for Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour is going to take Scottish football to the next level. Andrew Robertson, for me, is still one of the best fullbacks in European football, and you’ve got a lot of players now in the Premier League, like John McGinn, Ryan Christie.”
Martinez summed up: “The number of players that you have playing week in, week out, in the Premier League speaks volumes about the quality of these players.”
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