LISBON - Cristiano Ronaldo is 41, but Portugal coach Roberto Martinez says age is only a number and that his captain is judged on current form - the same as everyone else.
Ronaldo could play in a sixth World Cup when the tournament kicks off in North America next month. Martinez insists Portugal aren't carrying a monument to past glory.
"We manage the Cristiano Ronaldo that plays for the national team trying to get into the squad for 2026, not the iconic figure," Martinez told Reuters.
How to Use Ronaldo?
Martinez argues modern football - with five substitutions - has moved past treating the starting lineup as the only measure of status. "There are different roles, and Cristiano has always accepted his role."
The question of whether Ronaldo would accept a reduced role has lingered since the 2022 World Cup, when then-coach Fernando Santos benched him. Martinez says form, style, and context change, but every player's place rests on merit.
Martinez pointed to 25 goals in 30 Portugal appearances under his management - a better goals-per-game ratio than under any previous national-team coach - and said Ronaldo's value also shows in details that raw numbers miss: opening spaces, splitting center halves, and executing attacking patterns.
'Elite Brain'
Martinez insists age should not be the starting point of discussion. He credits Ronaldo's longevity to "that elite brain" and a daily pursuit of improvement. What surprised him most was the hunger: "Somebody that has won everything has the hunger of somebody that hasn't won a trophy yet."
Martinez knows the noise will never fade - "every taxi driver" has an opinion - but his job is to examine the evidence and pick the team.