3 min readJun 10, 2026 06:47 PM IST
First published on: Jun 10, 2026 at 06:10 PM IST
Portugal national football team head coach Roberto Martínez rates Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the greatest players of this generation and a bona fide Portuguese legend, very highly. The 41-year-old will feature in his sixth World Cup this time with Martínez by his side as they chase the shared dream of winning Portugal’s maiden World Cup title.
The Spaniard could not stop singing praises for Ronaldo, whom he believes will be an influential figure once again for the Portuguese side at the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026.
“Remember, Portugal has been to seven consecutive World Cups, now nine in total, since Cristiano Ronaldo arrived in the national team,” Martínez told The Athletic. “He has given incredible continuity in qualifying for the big tournaments.”
Martínez said Ronaldo is a unique footballer who has changed the game of football.
“A unique footballer that has changed the game. His commitment to the game is still an example for many young players. Twenty one years of service to the national team, 227 games for the national team. No other player has done that. The number of goals. All those figures make Cristiano Ronaldo iconic,” he said.
Martínez believes Ronaldo still poses the threat of old. “The influence of Cristiano Ronaldo as a number nine, the movement, the timing of the movement, the finishing, the way he opens spaces, the way that he can influence the defensive back line of the opposition, that is a big, big strength.”
Ronaldo has represented Portugal at the FIFA World Cups of 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026, making him one of the few players in history to appear in six editions of the tournament. However, the coach said that when Ronaldo joined the national team for what could finally be his last World Cup, his attitude was still as fresh as a teenager.
“His attitude is as fresh as an 18 year old that is playing for the national team for the first time,” Martínez told The Athletic.
Martínez, who replaced Fernando Santos three and a half years ago, said: “Cristiano cannot be replaced.”
“Like for like, it is impossible. But like anything, you need to find solutions, and you need to find different ways to have an attacking team that can produce the same number of goals. Cristiano’s numbers cannot be replicated by an individual substitution. It is impossible,” he added.
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez with Cristiano Ronaldo. (Reuters) 
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