Martinez’s Ronaldo obsession risks Portugal’s World Cup dream

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“I’ve worked with many geniuses, but I’ve never seen anyone like Cristiano Ronaldo,” he said last year. “His hunger to win is unbelievable. Every morning is a new opportunity for him to improve, to be better, to win. He’s unique. I can’t explain it.” That last sentence may be the most honest thing Martinez has said about the situation. He cannot explain it because it is not rational. It is awe. And awe is not a basis for team selection.

The numbers from Wednesday tell the story Martinez refused to read. According to Squawka, Ronaldo had only 25 touches, just five in the opposition box, and not a single shot on target. Portugal, as a team, managed just one. That is an abysmal return for a side hoping to win a World Cup, and it starts with the man leading the line. In the 68th minute, when Francisco Conceicao cut the ball back, Bruno Fernandes was better placed to score. Ronaldo’s instincts took over and a clear chance was gone. The second chance, in the 74th minute, came to a Ronaldo who was once automatic in those positions and is no longer. With Congo looking perfectly capable of hurting Portugal on the break, Martinez’s response was to bring on Goncalo Ramos, a striker, for Vitinha, a midfielder, while Ronaldo stayed on the pitch.

Ronaldo had only 25 touches, just five in the opposition box, and not a single shot on target. (AP Photo)

At the post-match press conference, Martinez’s defence was this: “It makes no sense to get the best goal scorer in world football out in a game that you need goals.” The logic is circular. If the best goal scorer in world football is getting no shots on target and costing the team clear chances, then the premise needs examining.

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There is a precedent worth revisiting. Fernando Santos, the last manager who dared to drop Ronaldo, benched him for the Round of 16 match against Switzerland at the 2022 World Cup after Ronaldo had left the pitch angrily after being substituted in a group match against South Korea. Against Switzerland, Portugal won 6-1, with Ramos scoring a hat-trick. Ronaldo, who had started all three group games, had one goal to show for it. When Portugal were eliminated by Morocco, in a match Ronaldo played almost the entirety of the second half without scoring, it was not Ronaldo who left. It was Santos. The only coach to deliver silverware to Portugal, the architect of Euro 2016, was quietly packed off because the relationship with their superstar had fractured beyond repair.

Martinez has hinted in recent interviews that he may leave after this World Cup regardless. Which makes his reluctance to act all the stranger. He has nothing to protect. He has at least two more group games, against Uzbekistan and Colombia, to try something different. The question is whether he has the nerve for it.

Martinez’s record in Belgium showed what happens when a generation of exceptional players is managed without the hard calls being made. If he cannot make this one now, he risks adding a second golden generation to his ledger: admired in parts, ultimately unfulfilled. Whether that is worth preserving Ronaldo’s feelings is a decision only Martinez can make. The tools to get it right are in his hands. So is the choice not to use them.