Cristiano Ronaldo is getting ready to play against Turkiye in a potentially pivotal Group F match on Friday, and Roberto Martinez stated on Friday that the aging legend should represent Portugal at Euro 2024.
Ronaldo, who is 39 years old and participating in his sixth European Championship, is Portugal’s all-time leading scorer with 130 goals in a record 208 international appearances.
Martinez claimed that he will play in Dortmund on Saturday. Martinez moved to Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia last year, but he is still a mainstay in his national squad despite not being the same player.
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“I think what’s important is to understand what a player brings. For us, Cristiano brings the experience, brings the know-how, brings the goal-scoring opportunities, the movement in the box, the opportunity to open up space,” Martinez told reporters.
Ronaldo played all of Portugal’s opening 2-1 win over the Czech Republic in Leipzig but did not score, with Francisco Conceicao getting the decisive late goal.
“If you want to analyse the stats in terms of the physical side, well you need to look at what he’s done in the last 12 months,” added Martinez, with Ronaldo having scored 44 goals in 45 games for his club over the past season.
He also scored seven times in seven appearances for Portugal between the season starting and the Euros beginning.
“Cristiano is in the national team of Portugal because he deserves to be, and all the physical stats just back that he can play every four days.”
Portugal is now behind Turkiye in Group F on goal differential, but if they win at the Westfalenstadion and Georgia loses to the Czechs in Hamburg, they will go to the last 16 in Germany in first position.
In their tournament debut, Turkiye defeated Georgia 3-1, and they will once more play in front of a sizable and boisterous crowd in Dortmund.
