Following his appointment as Portugal boss, Roberto Martinez has addressed Cristiano Ronaldo's future with the national team after his difficult 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign and subsequent move to Saudi Arabia.
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On Monday, it was announced that ex-Belgium head coach Martinez had replaced Fernando Santos in the dugout following the latter's departure days after the World Cup in the Middle East came to an end.
Official ?Ex-Belgium boss Roberto Martinez has been named as Portugal's new head coach following the departure of Fernando Santos. #SLInt Good appointment? ?? pic.twitter.com/km4Qa9zA01
— Soccer Laduma (@Soccer_Laduma) January 9, 2023
Martinez, 49, spent the past six years in charge of the Red Devils and stepped down from his post following the expiration of his contract in December 2022, confirming his exit just moments after Belgium's group-stage exit in Qatar.
The Spaniard will have a lot of work to do in the coming months to prove he is worthy of managing a talented Portuguese generation, with many interested to see how he handles what is currently a delicate saga surrounding A Selecao's greatest goalscorer of all time.
Ronaldo lost his place in Santos' first XI following an underwhelming showing in the group stage, a decision that paid off for the ex-manager as replacement Goncalo Ramos scored a thrilling hat-trick in their 6-1 last-16 victory over Switzerland.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was benched again in Portugal's quarter-final defeat to Morocco, throwing his future in international football into uncertainty even before he signed for Saudi Arabian giants Al Nassr as a free agent.
Martinez has since revealed he will hold discussions with the former Manchester United forward, whom he believes should be respected at all times.
"Football decisions have to be taken on the pitch," he said, according to Marca.
"I'm not a coach who makes decisions in an office. My starting point is to meet them all today, to contact all the players. The list of 26 players from the last World Cup is my starting point, and Cristiano is a player on that list.
"He has been in the national team for 19 years and he deserves the respect to sit down and talk. And tomorrow we will start talking and getting to know each other, and Cristiano is one of them.
"I have a clear idea of the structure and the roles of the coaching staff. I will announce it in the next few days. I would like to bring in a Portuguese assistant, a former national team player.
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"He will be important for the coaching staff and will give us an acceleration for Portuguese football. I don't believe in systems. I think you have to bring out the talent to win games."
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