Turkey Boss Jumps To Cristiano Ronaldo’s Support As Roberto Martinez Roasts Journalist Over Portugal’s Euros Selection

Cristiano Ronaldo bagged yet another soccer record by featuring in his sixth UEFA Euro championship, the most by any player. However, the time has turned tumultuous for the Portuguese captain since the tournament started. The 39-year-old’s abilities came under scrutiny after he failed to make an impact in Portugal’s opening win against the Czechia. After the Czechia tie, the word on the soccer verse is that Ronaldo is past his prime. Anyhow, Portugal boss Roberto Martinez begs to differ. He taught a journalist a lesson, while they questioned CR7’s abilities at this age. Elsewhere, Turkey’s head coach has also detailed how important Ronaldo is for the Portuguese squad.

Cristiano Ronaldo unsurprisingly became the talking point in pre-match pressers addressed by the Portuguese and Turkish coaches. Speaking of the Al Nassr skipper, the Turkey manager Vincenzo Montella said, “Cristiano Ronaldo is a player with a great mentality and is still a key player in the Portugal national team even at the age of 39,” as compiled by Al Nassr Zone. Meanwhile, Portugal’s head coach, Martinez, shed light on Ronaldo’s heroics at Al Nassr during the last season to give a reality check to a reporter.

During Martinez’s presser, a reporter asked him if it was wise to start a 39-year-old Ronaldo in the Euro, despite his experience and fame. In response, the veteran tactician said, “Can I ask you something? Do you know how many minutes Cristiano Ronaldo played last season?” “He played every game with Al Nassr,” the reporter replied. “Then you’ve answered your question,” Martinez added in a fitting reply to the media person. That’s not all. Similar to the Turkey head coach, their star player Merih Demiral also thinks Ronaldo will be an enormous threat to their team in tonight’s group game.

Demiral warns his teammates to be cautious of Cristiano Ronaldo

Turkey’s star center-back Merih Demiral has seen Cristiano Ronaldo’s prowess up close in the Saudi Pro League, in Ah Ahli-Al Nassr games. Therefore, he thinks it is not a walk in the park for the Turkish defense to contain the Portuguese skipper. “He[Ronaldo] was in good shape when we played against each other in Saudi Arabia. He hasn’t lost anything. He is always very dangerous, a very big player. It is not easy to score this amount of goals at the age of 39. Of course, we need to be very careful as a defense,” said Demiral in a pre-game interview.

Even while the Turkish entourage and Martinez are full of praise for Ronaldo, we cannot overlook Portuguese players who think their captain is past his prime. Full-back Joao Cancelo earlier turned heads by saying CR7 is past his prime. Meanwhile, Bernardo Silva has admitted that young players saved Portugal’s face against the Czech Republic while Ronaldo struggled. So, the game against Turkey is a chance for the Al Nassr star to prove his critics wrong. Turkey, on the other hand, is stronger than ever, facing Portugal fresh off an electric 3-1 win against Georgia in their first game.