“It makes you feel even more important” - John Obi Mikel pinpoints moment where Roberto Martinez made mistake with Cristiano Ronaldo at Euro 2024
John Obi Mikel has pinpointed the moment where he reckons Roberto Martinez made a mistake with Cristiano Ronaldo at Euro 2024. He believes the manager should've benched the veteran striker for their dead rubber against Georgia.
Portugal came into Euro 2024 as one of the favorites but were eliminated in the quarter-finals against France on penalties. They started their campaign well, beating Czechia 2-1 and Turkiye 3-0. With these two wins, they secured their position at the top of the group.
Hence, their final group game against Georgia was a dead rubber for them, which saw Roberto Martinez make eight changes. Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Palhinha, and goalkeeper Diogo Costa were the only players who remained unchanged.
John Obi Mikel believes Roberto Martinez should've benched Ronaldo for that game, as he said on his The Obi One Podcast:
“I’m pretty sure the conversation [between Martinez and Ronaldo was like, listen, what do you think about playing tomorrow and Ronaldo was like, of course I want to play. Every player will tell the manager I want to play. There’s no player in this world that I know will say no to the manager asking if he wants to play."
He spoke about how the managers used to convey such messages to them in his time, saying:
“I’m sure that was how the conversation went. During my time, I’ve had [such] conversations with my manager and he’d say, ‘Mikel listen, take a break. We’ve got an important game at the weekend, and that’s why I need you.’
“It makes you feel even more important because the manager is giving you a rest, he knows how important you are [to the team’]. That’s where Martinez should’ve made the decision and said, ‘Mate, sit this one out’.”
Portugal shockingly lost that game against Georgia 2-0, with Cristiano Ronaldo playing just over an hour before getting subbed.
Roberto Martinez on Cristiano Ronaldo's future with Portugal after Euro 2024 exit
Portugal lost in the quarter-finals against France on penalties after the scoreline remained 0-0 after extra time at Euro 2024. Joao Felix missed the penalty for A Selecao. After the game, a big focus was on if it was Cristiano Ronaldo's final game for Portugal.
When asked about it, Roberto Martinez said (via ESPN):
"It's too soon and raw after the match to talk about that and there have been no individual decisions made."
Cristiano Ronaldo had already confirmed that it was his final appearance at the Euros. The 39-year-old became the first player to play in six editions of the tournament. He also holds the record for most appearances (30), most goals (14), and most assists (8) at the European Championships.