{"id":2441,"date":"2026-06-30T17:42:35","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T14:42:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/martinez-slams-childish-ronaldo-messi-talk-as-star-ready-for-full-minutes\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T17:42:35","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T14:42:35","slug":"martinez-slams-childish-ronaldo-messi-talk-as-star-ready-for-full-minutes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/martinez-slams-childish-ronaldo-messi-talk-as-star-ready-for-full-minutes\/","title":{"rendered":"Martinez Slams \u201cChildish\u201d Ronaldo-Messi Talk as Star Ready for Full Minutes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Portugal manager Roberto Martinez dismissed the idea of resting Cristiano Ronaldo in the World Cup\u2019s group stage finale as \u201cchildish\u201d comparisons emerged with other superstar forwards, insisting the 41-year-old is both mentally and physically ready to play full matches.<\/p>\n

Ronaldo played the entire 90 minutes as Portugal drew 0-0 with Colombia on Saturday, taking his total group-stage minutes to the full 270 across Group K. The result left Portugal unable to finish top of the section, with Colombia claiming first place and pushing Portugal into second. That set up a last-32 meeting with Croatia in Toronto on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Despite the expectation that Portugal\u2019s leading forward would provide a key edge, Ronaldo offered little in terms of threat during the stalemate against Colombia. The wider story, however, was Martinez\u2019s stance on why Ronaldo was not treated like other high-profile attackers.<\/p>\n

Martinez rejects \u201crest\u201d comparisons<\/h2>\n

As the tournament reached its final group fixtures, Haaland and Messi were both left out by Norway and Argentina respectively. Martinez said he saw no reason to mirror those decisions for Ronaldo simply because other teams had adjusted their lineups.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Martinez said Portugal do not weigh Ronaldo\u2019s workload against the choices made by players in other squads.<\/li>\n
  2. He added that making such parallels would be \u201cchildish,\u201d arguing the focus should remain on Ronaldo\u2019s own readiness and role.<\/li>\n
  3. He described Ronaldo as a player who is accustomed to being in the right areas at the right times, stressing that the main requirement is mental strength, positional discipline, and creating space within Portugal\u2019s attacking structure.<\/li>\n
  4. Martinez suggested that while Ronaldo can handle 90 minutes, further tweaks may still be needed in the next match\u2014something he framed as normal for any player.<\/li>\n
  5. He noted Portugal have already used 21 outfield players, explaining the team is sharing minutes rather than relying on a single constant selection.<\/li>\n
  6. Martinez said the staff track match information, observations from training sessions, and other data sources to decide when changes are appropriate.<\/li>\n
  7. He pointed to the Saturday lineup as an example, saying Jo\u00e3o Neves and R\u00faben Neves were each used for 45 minutes, with Diogo Dalot and Jo\u00e3o Cancelo treated similarly due to the different demands of their positions.<\/li>\n
  8. He also acknowledged that some squad members are not at full fitness, while insisting the information gathered is crucial to help guide those calls.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Portugal\u2019s failure to win the group has also reshaped the outlook for the knockout stages, with Martinez\u2019s comments leaving open the possibility of a round-of-16 clash against Spain, the winners of Euro 2024.<\/p>\n

    Still, the manager underlined that the group stage goal was straightforward: secure qualification first, then prepare properly for the competition that follows. He said Portugal now need to fine-tune their approach, raise their level, and guide games toward the style they want, including more possession and better control.<\/p>\n

    Martinez added that the three group matches were part of the process of reaching their best form, and insisted the tournament becomes different once the knockout stage begins, with Portugal aiming to remain in the event for eight matches in total.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Portugal manager Roberto Martinez dismissed the idea of resting Cristiano Ronaldo in the World Cup\u2019s group stage finale as \u201cchildish\u201d comparisons emerged with other superstar forwards, insisting the 41-year-old is both mentally and physically ready to play full matches. Ronaldo played the entire 90 minutes as Portugal drew 0-0 with Colombia on Saturday, taking his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2440,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Portugal World Cup: Martinez Says Ronaldo Ready to Play","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Roberto Martinez fires back at \u201cchildish\u201d Ronaldo-Messi talk, insisting Cristiano Ronaldo is fit for full minutes after Portugal\u2019s","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nPortugal World Cup: Martinez Says Ronaldo Ready to Play<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Roberto Martinez fires back at \u201cchildish\u201d Ronaldo-Messi talk, insisting 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