Unlike Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland, who were benched in the group stage finale, Cristiano Ronaldo has played every minute in Portugal’s ongoing World Cup campaign, and head coach Roberto Martinez doesn’t think it will change anytime soon, citing the Al-Nassr star’s superb condition.
Portugal are through to the Round of 32 after finishing second in Group K behind Colombia at five points, and Ronaldo played a pivotal role. The 41-year-old striker registered a brace in the Selecao’s 5-0 win against Uzbekistan, setting multiple records in the process.
“Obviously, we don’t compare players in our team with other players to make decisions. I think that would be quite childish and very unprofessional. I can tell you that we monitor all the (player) information that we get live during the games,” Martinez told reporters.
“There are different positions on the pitch that need different needs, and we monitor that down to the detail. Cristiano is used to being in the right place at the right time. It’s more a question of mentally being strong and always being disciplined in his position,” he added.
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