Portugal boss Roberto Martinez has revealed the experience of managing legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo in the national team. The Spanish has been charge of the Portuguese Men's national team since following the 2022 FIFA World Cup, taking over in January 2023.
Roberto Martinez explains feeling of managing Cristiano Ronaldo in national team
In an interaction with the BBC, Martinez talked about various moments of his career. While talking about the experience of managing Cristiano Ronaldo at the Portuguese national team. The former Belgium said that he found it very easy to work with the 41-year-old because of the standards he upholds throughout his career as a professional.
"Very easy, because of his high standards, his expectations of how the work should be done and his commitment to the game. He truly is an example of what you should do to represent Portugal and the national team. And now he's adapted, obviously, after 21 years in the national team - he's adjusted. He's a goalscorer, he's an important player for us, and it's the player that he is now that is important for me. As a national team coach, a player that has scored 25 goals in the last 30 international games... it's not that he's playing because of what he's done in the past, it's what he's done now", he said.
Roberto Martinez's first title with Portugal
Roberto Martinez led Belgium to the FIFA World Cup in 2022 but faced a group stage elimination despite being ranked second in the world by FIFA. He quickly joined Portugal afterwards, replacing Fernando Santos, whose side faced defeat in the quarterfinals of the competition.
Martinez has been in charge of the Selecao since, winning 27 of his 36 games in charge of the national team. Cristiano Ronaldo and co won the UEFA Nations League in 2025, defeating Spain in the final for the first title in Martinez's stint. Barring any injuries, the Al-Nassr player will captain his national team at the World Cup this summer.