"I have confidential information that proves this narrative" - Portugal boss insists Cristiano Ronaldo wasn't over-utilized during Euro 2024
Portugal manager Roberto Martinez has insisted that Cristiano Ronaldo was not over-utilized at Euro 2024 this summer. The tactician explained that he monitored the Al-Nassr forward closely during the competition and has confidential information to prove that he was properly managed.
Cristiano Ronaldo led an ambitious Portugal squad that featured several high-profile superstars including Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, and Rafael Leao into Euro 2024 back in June. At 39 years old, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was one of the oldest players in the competition.
Despite his age, Ronaldo started all of the team's five games in the tournament, playing full 90 minutes in all except the last group stage game versus Georgia when he was substituted in the 66th minute. Unfortunately, it ended up proving to be one of the worst outings of his career as he failed to find the back of the net in a whopping 486 minutes.
Portugal were eventually knocked out by France via a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals, condemning them to a premature exit. A lot of fingers were pointed at Cristiano Ronaldo following that disappointment but the 39-year-old wasn't the only culprit.
Roberto Martinez also received his share of the stick, with many arguing that he overused the Al-Nassr superstar when he could've given more opportunities to the young guns.
Appearing in his first interview since the tournament ended last month, the Portugal boss defended how he used the five-time Ballon d'Or winner. He stressed that age isn't a big factor in tournaments while pointing to Pepe, another veteran who had a brilliant outing with the team in Germany.
"Age, in tournaments, is not important. I think age even helps," Martinez told ZeroZero (via A Bola). "We saw that with Pepe, who played at a superlative level. The important thing is the work of the medical team."
"We monitor his performance through the statistics, which show that Cristiano was well managed, well used. I have confidential information that proves this narrative," the Spaniard added.
Following Portugal's exit, England and Spain made it into the final of the tournament where the latter claimed the prize with a 2-1 victory in Berlin.
Al-Nassr launch bid for Brazilian forward to support Cristiano Ronaldo in attack
Al-Nassr have made an effort to lure Brazilian star Wesley Gassova to the club to join Cristiano Ronaldo in the attack. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano provided information about the development on his official account on X.
According to the reliable journalist, the Saudi giants have tabled a proposal of around $18 million before the player's club Corinthians in a bid to convince them to sell. The two parties are yet to reach an agreement on the deal and talks will progress in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo has scored in each of his two appearances for Al-Nassr since arriving from the Euros this summer. He scored in the 2-0 win over Al-Taawoun in the Saudi Super Cup semifinals as well as in the 4-1 loss to Al-Hilal in the final.