“Not Surprised By the 54 Goals He Scored in 2023” – Roberto Martinez on Cristiano Ronaldo’s Goal Tally Ahead of Lionel Messi Faceoff

Portugal NT’s head coach Roberto Martinez once said Cristiano Ronaldo is as hungry as an 18-year-old for scoring goals. CR7 proved Martinez’s claim right by scoring 54 goals to emerge as 2023’s top scorer at the age of 38. Ten of his 54 goals came for Portugal during their successful UEFA Euro qualifier stint. Weeks after CR7’s Globe Soccer Awards sweep, coach Martinez broke his silence on the superstar’s achievement. He stated that the Portuguese captain’s age-defying performance and experience add ‘weight‘ to the team’s locker room.

CR7 is hellbent on repeating the same goal-scoring riot this year as well. However, he is yet to kick-start 2024’s action. Since an injury canceled his outings in China, his clash against arch-rival Lionel Messi will hopefully be his first for the year.

Roberto Martinez lauds CR7 as a ‘natural character’, as the 38-year-old defied his age!

Most soccer fans and pundits were in sheer disbelief to see Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland play second fiddle to Cristiano Ronaldo in the top-scorer race. But Martinez seems to have seen it coming. “I was not surprised by the 54 goals he [Cristiano] scored in 2023 between Al Nassr (44 Goals) and Portugal (10 Goals). Doing this in one year and at this age is evidence of the performance he gave,” said Roberto Martinez. While CR7 emerged as Portugal’s top scorer with 10 goals as well, the entire team thrived under Roberto Martinez. Portugal won all 10 matches that they played in the UEFA Euro qualifiers.

“It is necessary to give the players a natural character, and I also really liked what I found in the locker room, the experience and weight it has,” the Portuguese boss added. Though Ronaldo has successfully tackled all challenges, what can be the toughest challenge is yet to come. Which is meeting his generational rival Messi in an Al Nassr-Inter Miami game in the Riyadh Season Cup.

All eyes are on Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s last dance

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi last met at the Riyadh Season Cup in 2023. Then, Lionel Messi was still at PSG and he had the better of CR7, who lined up in a team that included superstars from both Al Nassr and Al Hilal. Therefore, now it is payback time for the 5x Ballon d’Or winner. However, the Al Nassr skipper’s availability for the match is still in dubiety because of a muscle injury. He got injured before the China friendlies and prior reports said he needs to rest for two weeks. The resting period put his prospects for the ‘Last Dance’ in danger.

READ MORE: With $89M Loss, Al Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo Among the Biggest Financial Damage Causes in Last Decade

Al Nassr recently posted pictures of Cristiano Ronaldo hitting the gym. So the recovery process seems to be in full swing in Riyadh. And that is neither surprising because CR7 will surely go the extra mile to share the stage with La Pulga for the last time, perhaps.

What are your predictions for the game? Tell us in the comments.

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