Cristiano Ronaldo’s Place in Portugal Starting XI Against Liechtenstein in Doubt After NT Coach’s Brutally Honest Comments

While everyone takes a break from club soccer, the international break has emerged with exciting games again. Portugal is set to face Liechtenstein in the UEFA Euro Qualifiers. However, hours before the game an unexpected reaction from Roberto Martinez is causing unrest. Portugal’s national coach vocally dished out strong comments over the place of Cristiano Ronaldo in the starting lineup.

Amid all the drama, Ronaldo seems to be in emphatic form, as he has been topping the charts in the Saudi Pro League. Since his arrival, the skipper has been duly helping Al Nassr clinch consecutive victories this season. 

Portugal boss refuses to give clarity over Cristiano Ronaldo starting the next match 

Tomorrow, Portugal will play Liechtenstein in the Euro Qualifiers. Cristiano Ronaldo has also flown from Saudi Arabia to reunite with his national teammates. However, just hours before the match, the presence of the 38-year-old is suddenly in doubt. Why? 

This comes from the mouth of Portugal’s boss, Roberto Martinez. When asked by a journalist if Ronaldo would play tonight, he said, “No, only José Sa will play. I did not tell the players about the starting lineup. Cristiano did well and all the players are ready. It is not important to know whether Ronaldo will play tomorrow or not.”

Clearly, Martinez wasn’t interested in revealing the startling XI hours before the match. He only revealed goalkeeper José Sa as a starter for the upcoming clash. Perhaps it’s a part of the mind games, as he isn’t keen to give everything to the opposing team. Nevertheless, this increases the intrigue of whether Cristiano Ronaldo will play or not. 

Ironically, weeks ago, Martinez was slammed by a Chelsea legend who claimed the Portuguese boss would never drop Ronaldo from the playing squad. What was the entire story behind the same?

Soccer pundit called out Roberto Martinez

While Roberto Martinez may have boldly dropped suspicion over Ronaldo’s presence against Liechtenstein, Chelsea legend Craig Burley says that the Portugal coach can’t risk dropping Ronaldo. While speaking on ESPN, the pundit said that the previous coach, Fernando Santos, did drop Ronaldo for Goncalo Ramos during the World Cup, but the current coach doesn’t have “the stomach to leave him out.” 

READ MORE: “The Arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo Changed Everything,” – Rival Lauds CR7’s $500,000,000 Al Nassr Move for Uplifting the Saudi Pro League

Indeed, it was quite a bold claim. Well, it remains to be seen if Martinez actually drops the soccer icon or not. It seems quite far-fetched simply because the head coach has previously stated that Ronaldo was part of his plans. Undoubtedly, his presence on the national team will prove favorable, as he is in remarkable form this season. Do you think Cristiano Ronaldo will not start the next game? Let us know in the comments below.

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