“Players Feel More Important”- Joao Cancelo Compares Roberto Martinez With Ex-Portugal Boss Fernando Santos

The Portugal national team is looking to get back to business. After winning the 2016 EURO and 2018 UEFA Nations League under former coach Fernando Santos, things had been quite slow. But as the hunger for winning more prestigious trophies remained steadfast, Cristiano Ronaldo and co. brought Roberto Martinez. Although the former Belgian manager is still settling in with the dynamics of the Os Navegadores, Joao Cancelo insists ‘everyone feels they have a significant role in the team’ under Martinez.

In an interview with renowned journalist Pedro Pinto, Cancelo was asked about his impression of Roberto Martinez so far, given that he worked for so many years with Fernando Santos. Pinto also shared with Cancelo that his fellow national mate, Danilo Pereira, was ‘impressed’ by the communication of Martinez. Interestingly, the Barcelona star had a lot of praise for Santos, who helped him achieve his dream of playing in the World Cup. “I have a lot of appreciation for [Santos], on a personal level, who indeed has a pure heart,” said the right-back. 

Cancelo then spoke about Martinez, insisting the Spanish coach has ‘brought different concepts.’ While highlighting that Santos used to stick to the same starting XI, he said, “I think that players, in general, feel more important with Roberto Martinez due to the rotation that Danilo [Pereira] mentioned. I believe it’s more like that. I think everyone feels they have a significant role in the team, feels there are no indisputable starters, and I think that’s good for a national team because we all play for big clubs, and I think we all have the right and the quality to contribute to Portugal.”

Indeed, this is quite an interesting comparison from the former Manchester City defender. Notably, another one of Cancelo’s national teammate also feels the same about Martinez. 

Joao Cancelo’s national teammate Otavio became a fan of Roberto Martinez

In a press conference, Ronaldo’s Al Nassr teammate Otavio was questioned about the impact of replacing Santos with Martinez. While insisting on a different point of view that it was the collective effort that helped them achieve everything, he said, “The way Martinez presented himself and made the team play, which we all accepted, made things easier.”

READ MORE: Roberto Martinez Credits Saudi Pro League for ‘Positive’ Influence on Cristiano Ronaldo & Portugal NT Teammates – “Able to Play at a High Level”

Several months into his role as the manager of Portugal, Martinez has achieved remarkable success in the UEFA Euro qualifiers, winning all 10 fixtures in Group J. Now, he’ll be looking to lead Ronaldo and Co. to EURO 2024 glory and bring back the trophy after an eight-year exile with his positive influence and strategic approach that the team has become a fan of. 

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