"Childish": Portugal Coach's Clear Verdict On Not Resting Cristiano Ronaldo Against Colombia
Roberto Martinez completely dismissed suggestions that Cristiano Ronaldo should have been rested for their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K match against Colombia.
- Roberto Martinez dismissed suggestions that Cristiano Ronaldo should have been rested vs Colombia
- Ronaldo's performance did not impress as Portugal were held to 0-0 draw by Colombia
- “We don't compare with other players of other teams. That would be childish,” the Portugal head coach said
Portugal football team head coach Roberto Martinez completely dismissed suggestions that Cristiano Ronaldo should have been rested for their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K match against Colombia on Sunday. There were some chatter among fans and experts that Ronaldo should have been rested just like Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland. However, Martinez called such comparisons "childish" and said that the Portugal superstar is fully capable of playing every minute. Ronaldo's performance did not impress as Portugal were held to 0-0 draw by Colombia.
In constrast, Messi came on as a substitute during Argentina's match against Jordan while Haaland did not feature for Norway at all during their final group stage game against France.
“We don't compare with other players of other teams. That would be childish,” Martinez said after the match.
Martinez went on to explain that Ronaldo's game was based on experience and discipline.
“Cristiano is used to being in the right place at the right time. It's more a question of mentally being strong and always being disciplined in position and always opening space in our attacking patterns,” he said.
He further insisted that the superstar has shown no signs of struggle when it comes to his workload during the World Cup.
“It's not an issue for Cristiano to play 90 minutes, but maybe the next game we need to make a change, but that's like any other player,” he said.
“We monitor all the information we get in games and training, and there is always an opportunity to make changes.”
According to Opta Analyst, the 41-year-old Portugal captain made his 25th FIFA World Cup appearance, drawing level with Germany great Lothar Matthaus for the second-most appearances in the tournament's history. Only Argentina captain Lionel Messi, with 29 appearances, has featured in more World Cup matches than Ronaldo.
Ronaldo also extended an unusual tournament statistic. The veteran forward has now been flagged offside 11 times across the last two FIFA World Cups, four more than any other player during that span. France's Kylian Mbappe and Colombia's Luis Diaz are next on the list with seven offsides each.
(With ANI inputs)
Ronaldo
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Colombia