Cristiano Ronaldo immediately impressed the new Portugal coach, Roberto Martinez. He broke the world record and scored his 120th goal. Roberto Martinez’s debut as Portugal coach couldn’t be more beautiful than what happened in the Portugal vs Liechtenstein match at the Estadio Jose Alvalade, Friday (24/3/2023). In the first opportunity to coach Portugal, Roberto Martinez witnessed his team win a landslide victory, plus the world record breaking by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Portugal’s victory in the Euro Qualification Group J match aka Euro 2024 was confirmed through goals from Joao Cancelo (8′), Bernardo Silva (47′) and Cristiano Ronaldo (51′ pen., 63′). Cristiano Ronaldo, who is 38 years old, has shown his worthiness to remain in the Portugal squad concocted by Roberto Martinez via a double goal.
The world record of 197 appearances at the national team level added to Ronaldo’s perfect night. He is now the footballer with the most appearances at the national team level, surpassing the record of the Kuwaiti player, Bader Al-Mutawa (196 games).
“To be in the national team, you have to be committed. This is a new cycle. It is very important that the player shows commitment and he (Ronaldo) can use his experience,” said Roberto Martinez about his team. Roberto Martinez, who filled in for the post left by Fernando Santos after the 2022 World Cup, is trying to start a new era in the Portugal national team.
Portugal full-back, Joao Cancelo, admitted that Martinez’s performance began to be seen in the match against Liechtenstein. According to Joao Cancelo, during the Martinez era, the Selecao das Quinas team played with high intensity.
Using the match against Liechtenstein as a reference, so far it is felt that Ronaldo can follow the football philosophy that Martinez wants. Roberto Martinez, who previously coached Belgium at the 2022 World Cup, highlighted two crucial elements that Ronaldo can bring to the team. “Cristiano has that, a wealth of experience and a lot of commitment to the national team,” said Roberto Martinez as quoted from the UEFA website.
Ronaldo’s contribution is also credited with maintaining Roberto Martinez’s perfect record in Euro qualifiers. While coaching a team in the European Cup qualifiers, Martinez has never lost a point. In 11 matches, Martinez has always seen his team win matches.
