Martinez hails Ronaldo: "Playing in a non-European club is an advantage"

Cristiano Ronaldo continues helping his national team despite being 38 years old. The striker is performing well even if it is not in European football as he is used to doing.

In fact, Portugal manager Roberto Martinez believes the Portuguese star's participation in the Saudi league could be "an advantage" for them. The Spanish coach spoke about Ronaldo at the pre-match press conference ahead of the Bosnia encounter and praised his determination.

"Playing in a non-European club is sometimes an advantage when playing in the national team. We have three ways of analysing a player: individual quality, experience and commitment. Cristiano's commitment is complete.

"He is an example for the dressing room, an example for Portuguese and world football. He has played 198 matches for the national team. Cristiano and Pepe are examples of Portuguese football, and we need them to pass all the experience and wisdom to the youngest players," he added.

"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."

 

June 16, 2023