Portugal’s manager, Roberto Martinez, has shared insights about what it is like to coach the famous soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo in the national team.
The Spaniard has been leading the Portuguese men’s national team since after the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and he started his role in January 2023.
Martinez talked to the BBC about his career, and he mentioned managing Cristiano Ronaldo.
The former Belgium coach said he found it really easy to work with the 41-year-old because of the high standards he has always kept in his professional career.
“It is very easy because he had high standards, he expected the work to be done properly, and he really cared about the game. He really is a perfect example of how someone should act to represent Portugal and the national team.
“Now he’s adjusted, obviously, after spending 21 years in the national team. He’s a goal scorer, he’s a key player for us, and it’s who he is right now that matters to me. As a national team coach, a player who has scored 25 goals in the past 30 international matches…
“It’s not because of what he did before that he’s playing, but because of what he’s doing right now.”
Roberto Martinez took Belgium to the FIFA World Cup in 2022, but his team was unable to advance past the group stage, even though they were ranked second in the world by FIFA.
He went to Portugal right after that, taking over from Fernando Santos, whose team lost in the quarterfinals of the competition.
Martinez has been leading the Selecao, and he has won 27 out of the 36 matches he has coached for the national team.
Cristiano Ronaldo and his team won the UEFA Nations League in 2025 by beating Spain in the final, which was the first trophy of Martinez’s time in charge.
Unless he gets injured, the player from Al-Nassr will lead his country’s team in the World Cup this summer.