Portugal Boss Roberto Martinez Hasn’t Got the ‘Stomach to Leave’ Cristiano Ronaldo Despite Questionable Performances, Says Chelsea Legend

It adds to your advantage when you are an icon of your team. You become untouchable even by the most powerful. Cristiano Ronaldo has been a prolific scorer for Portugal in the last two decades. But as age catches up to him, Ronaldo’s performances have also taken a hit. Amidst opinions about his longevity, an expert feels the current coach hasn’t got the boldness to drop Ronaldo.

After winning the Euro in 2016, the Navigators have frequently been knocking on the doors of something big. The team exited the last two World Cups in the knockout rounds by marginal losses. But Ronaldo’s performances in all those games left much to be desired.

Former Scottish player gets tough on the Portuguese team coach on Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal has had some great players throughout its soccer history. But none came close to winning the World Cup, let alone win it. Even now, considering their current team, the Portuguese have a lot of young talent at their disposal that can challenge for the World Cup. Amid the availability of such players, former Chelsea player turned pundit, Craig Burley says that the current Portugal coach can’t risk dropping Cristiano Ronaldo.

In a podcast with ESPN FC, Burley said, “The last coach uh of Portugal who stuck with him a long time a long time dropped him for Ramos in the World Cup because they were searching for results so it’ll only be a problem if it becomes a problem but I don’t think he’s got the stomach to leave him out.”

Craig Burley is of the opinion that the previous coach, Fernando Santos, did drop Ronaldo for Goncalo Ramos in the World Cup, but the current coach doesn’t have the courage to do so.

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The Al Nassr captain has scored a lot of goals for Portugal this year, but all of them have come in the Euro 2024 qualifiers against weaker opposition. The level of teams in the group is not high enough to convince experts that he could replicate those goals with bigger teams. With all the ongoing talk, Portugal has already qualified for next year’s Euro in Germany.

Can Portugal’s new coach change the tide?

Roberto Martinez joined Portugal in July this year. The Spanish player-turned-coach has not lost a match since his arrival.

But with teams like Slovakia and Luxembourg, the challenge was not tough for him either. The manager, however, has an excellent record with his previous team, Belgium, which may give the Portugal side some hope.

Martinez had a great stint with Belgium before arriving in Portugal. The Golden Generation of Belgian players with stars like Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne reached number one in the FIFA rankings in 2018. The team also secured third place in the World Cup the same year. This time, however, he has got many more players at his disposal. But will Ronaldo would be a strength or a liability in major competitions at this age still remains a question.

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