da apostebet: Portugal coach Roberto Martinez has defended his selection of 39-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, insisting his place in the squad is deserved.
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Martinez defiant over Ronaldo selectionPortugal star questioned over club careerScored 10 goals in Euro 2024 qualifyingWHAT HAPPENED?
Martinez stressed that he picks nobody on reputation and that Ronaldo's prolific season in the Saudi Pro League was fully worthy of commanding a place in Portugal's squad. The Al-Nassr star scored 44 goals in all competitions last season.
Advertisement(C)GettyImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Ronaldo took his club career out of Europe at the end of 2022 and, despite his advancing age, has seen his goal numbers shoot back up in a less competitive league. Yet, at the same time, Ronaldo was the second top scorer in all of Euro 2024 qualifying.
WHAT MARTINEZ SAID
"Cristiano is in the national team on merit. Nobody gets into the national team by just having a name. Cristiano scored 50 goals in 51 games – consistent with his club in his league – and he scored [10] goals in our qualification rounds," Martinez said.
"He's a goalscorer and, for us, he's someone who can make that final move. He can stretch defences and open spaces. Over the years, he has changed his way of playing slightly, but I can only say that Cristiano is in the national team on merit and the numbers are there to back that up."
DID YOU KNOW?
Ronaldo fell out with former Portugal boss Fernando Santos in the wake of being benched for the knockouts rounds of the 2022 World Cup, having known each for two decades prior. He has vowed to "respect the coach's decisions" this summer.