Read 3 minutes28 Jun 2026 01:43 PM IST
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez has described Cristiano Ronaldo as “childish” and insists his captain is fully capable of playing every minute of the World Cup, as he should have rested Cristiano Ronaldo in the same way as Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland.
Ronaldo completed another full game in Portugal’s goalless draw against Colombia on Saturday, meaning the 41-year-old has played every minute of Portugal’s group-stage campaign.
Messi was left out of the starting XI for Argentina’s final Group J match against Jordan, but came on as a substitute and scored in a 3–1 win. Erling Haaland, meanwhile, did not feature in Norway’s final Group I match against France, which they lost 4–1.
Also read | Ronaldo’s fading powers make Portugal a threat at the 2026 World Cup
Despite Portugal finishing second in Group K after a 0-0 draw against the South Americans, Martinez said managing Ronaldo’s workload was based on his own position rather than what other nations would do with their star forwards.
“We don’t compare with other players from other teams. It would be childish,” Martinez said when asked why Ronaldo was not rested after Messi and Haaland were eliminated from their respective teams’ final group matches.
The Portugal manager said Ronaldo’s game is based on experience, discipline and intelligent movement rather than just physical output.
Story continues below this ad
“Cristiano is used to being in the right place at the right time. It’s more a question of being mentally strong and always being disciplined and always opening up space in our attacking formations,” he said.
Martinez added that the veteran striker showed no signs of struggling with the workload.
“It’s not a problem for Cristiano to play 90 minutes, but maybe in the next game we need to make changes, but it’s like any other player,” he said.
The Spaniard emphasized Portugal’s constant monitoring of each player’s fitness and rotated the squad throughout the group stages where necessary.
Story continues below this ad
“We’ve used 21 outfield players, so we share the minutes,” he said. “We monitor all the information we receive in games and training and there is always an opportunity to make changes.”
He pointed to the substitutions that included Joao Neves, Ruben Neves, Diogo Dalot and Joao Cancelo against Colombia as evidence that Portugal make decisions based on individual workload and positional demands.
“There are players who are not fully fit, but all the data we collect is very important to help us make those decisions,” Martinez said.
Also read | Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappe, Haaland: a Golden Boot race unlike any other
Story continues below this ad
Despite missing out on the top spot, Martinez insisted the group stage served its purpose.
“It’s time to adjust, improve and run the matches we want, with more possession and better control,” he said. “We needed these three games to reach our best level.”
He added, “We have eight matches to play here and now it’s a different competition.
Portugal’s second-place finish means they will now enter the knockout stages the hard way, with Croatia in Toronto in the round of 32, with a possible clash against European champions Spain beyond.