England boss Thomas Tuchel has issued a warning to his players after Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off Portugal. He wants his team to make wise decisions on the field and avoid red cards when unnecessary.
Thomas Tuchel's special instructions to his players after Cristiano Ronaldo's sent off vs Ireland
Interacting with the media ahead of the FIFA World Cup qualifier against Albania, Tuchel accepted that he has been instructing his players to avoid red cards. He wants to ensure the player are available for all games, unlike Cristiano Ronaldo, who is set to miss the next two games for Portugal, and said:
"It is important, I'm aware of it and we will talk about it. No red cards please. If we have a doubt then, because we are through and we are in a position with last man then the player holds the shirt he gets the red card. If there's a doubt then it would be smarter not to do it. If he goes in the last man example and if we can avoid it no red card of course but I don't want to make it too big a subject because then you have a cloud above you. But if you have the choice: don't do it."
Cristiano Ronaldo will miss Portugal's final FIFA World Cup qualifier against Armenia. The UEFA Nations League winners need to secure a win or a draw to ensure direct qualification to next summer's tournament.
Portugal boss Roberto Martinez reflects on Cristiano Ronaldo situation
On the other hand, national team manager Roberto Martinez said that the red card was unfortunate, saying that VAR did not check all angles before making a decision and said:
"Of course, we did. I think it's difficult for a player like Cristiano, who is in the box. And today he had two defenders always with physical contact. There is no violence. He tries to remove the defender and it was unlucky that the VAR consideration... The angle of the images [makes it seem] worse than what happened. It's Ronaldo's first red card in the national team, it's incredible."
Cristiano Ronaldo will miss the first game of the upcoming FIFA World Cup if they finish first in the group to qualify for the tournament. If they finish second, he will miss the first leg of the play-off.
Cristiano Ronaldo admits 2026 FIFA World Cup will be his final tournament with the national team
Cristiano Ronaldo interacted with the media regarding the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He noted that his age as the main reason for his decision and said:
"Definitely, yes. I will be 41 years old and I think [this] will be the moment in the big competition. Let's be honest, when I mean soon, it's probably one or two years I'll still be at the game."
Cristiano Ronaldo has not revealed when he will be retiring from the sport, and has two years left on his contract at Al-Nassr.