Ronaldo judged on form not age for Portugal at World Cup, says Martinez
Key takeaways
- Ronaldo will play in his fifth World Cup and is the record scorer at international level with 143 goals for Portugal.
- Yet Martinez, speaking to the Reuters news agency in Lisbon on Thursday, insisted Portugal were not 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 said.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Ronaldo will play in his fifth World Cup and is the record scorer at international level with 143 goals for Portugal.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 25 goals in 30 matches since Roberto Martinez took charge of the national team [Pedro Nunes/Reuters]By Reuters Published On 15 May 202615 May 2026Cristiano Ronaldo is 41, but Portugal coach Roberto Martinez said age is only a number and that his captain is judged on current form and by the same standards as everyone else.
Ronaldo could play in a sixth World Cup, with this year’s tournament in North America set to begin in less than a month, a staggering possibility even for a player who has twisted football’s record books into new shapes.