Portugal’s head coach discusses the Utilization of Cristiano Ronaldo in Euro 2024. 

Roberto Martinez managed Portugal were eliminated in the Quarter final of UEFA Euro 2024 after losing to France on penalties in Hamburg. Their captain, Cristiano Ronaldo played his 6th European Championship and was heavily involved in action throughout the campaign. 

The 39-year-old attacker played all five matches, however, couldn’t open his goal account and only managed to have a single assist but was a commanding figure in the dressing room. Subsequently, his outings over the summer came under scrutiny with Portugal’s coach also being under fire for mismanaging Ronaldo’s campaign. 

In a recent interview with ZeroZero Roberto Martinez addressed the allegation of over-utilization of Cristiano Ronaldo, he said, “Age, in tournaments, is not important. I think age even helps, we saw that with Pepe, who played at a superlative level. The important thing is the work of the medical team.”, quote via A Bola.

“We monitor his performance through the statistics, which show that Cristiano was well managed, well used. I have confidential information that proves this narrative,” the Spaniard tactician further justified his point by saying, that the Portugal staff have the statistics of Ronaldo’s performance. 

The five-time Ballon Dor winner has played in Europe’s continental championship six times starting from Euro 2004 held in his homeland Portugal. Among all his previous campaigns — unfortunately, the 2024 edition proved to be a major disappointment for the prolific goal-scorer. Despite clocking 486’ minutes of game time under Martinez, he failed to register a single goal to his name in the entire tournament.

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