Roberto Martinez has strongly supported Cristiano Ronaldo, asserting that the 39-year-old forward is in excellent shape to manage a demanding schedule for Portugal throughout Euro 2024.
CR7 has dominated headlines since Portugal’s 2-1 win over Czech Republic in their opening match despite not bagging a goal.
His ability to shine on the biggest stage due to age has been questioned once more.
Nevertheless, manager Martinez was quick to come to his side, and when asked if Ronaldo will play another 90 minutes in Saturday’s game against Turkey, the Spaniard replied bluntly: “Do you know how many minutes Cristiano played last season? He has experience, there was no other player in the history of football with six European Championships played.
“It is important to understand what a player brings. Cristiano brings experience, brings goal opportunities, a way of opening up spaces. Cristiano is in the national team because he deserves to be here, just look at what he has done and what he has done in the last competitions.
“He was very disciplined, worked hard and is a killer, a very important box player. He opens up space. When Francisco scored, the space opened up because Cristiano was in the area. We work with a focus and Cristiano is important for us, in what we try to do in the penalty area.”
Portugal face Turkey later today.
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