Portugal boss Roberto Martinez explains decision to bench Cristiano Ronaldo for Scotland clash
Portugal national team head coach Roberto Martinez elaborated on his decision to bench Cristiano Ronaldo for their UEFA Nations League clash against Scotland. The match is currently ongoing at Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica.
The 39-year-old forward netted his 900th career goal in A Selecao's last UEFA Nations League clash against Croatia, marking his 213th appearance and 131st goal for his nation.
With questions raised about the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's absence from the starting XI, Roberto Martinez explained that new players require time on the pitch while emphasizing Cristiano Ronaldo's importance. The Spanish tactician said (via @TimelineCR7 on X):
"Cristiano is our captain and he knows that it is very important to have a player like him to finish the game. It is important to be able to manage the effort and use more players. Today we have four new players. Two more who played 45 minutes."
Claiming the star forward was a "reference" for the squad, Roberto Martinez added:
"In this competition it is important to manage the effort well and that is part of it. For us, Cristiano is a reference. A player who had a brilliant performance against Croatia, it is important to protect him."
"It's about sharing the effort. The format of playing 2 games in 72 hours. Cris had more sprints with Croatia. It's a question of protecting the players and having an option on the bench too. The important thing is to get the 3 points," added the Portugal boss.
Portugal conceded a goal just seven minutes into their UEFA Nations League clash against Scotland, ending the first half with a 1-0 deficit.
Cristiano Ronaldo opens up after scoring his 900th career goal in Portugal's UEFA Nations League opener
After scoring his 900th career goal in Portugal's UEFA Nations League 2-1 win against Croatia, Cristiano Ronaldo claimed his newly achieved milestone was "unique." He said (via Fabrizio Romano on X):
"900 goals seems like any other milestone, but only I know how hard it is to work every day to score your 900th goal. It's a unique milestone in my career. I don’t break records… they haunt me!"
Before breaking this record, the Portuguese icon talked about it on his YouTube channel, UR · Cristiano, with pundit Rio Ferdinand. He said:
"Soon I'll score 900 and then I'll beat 1000. If I don't have injuries, this is the most important thing for me. I want that. For me, it's the best mark that I can have in football to be the first to reach 900 goals. After that, my challenge is to reach 1000."
Following the UEFA Nations League match against Scotland, Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to be back in action in Al-Nassr's Saudi Pro League clash with Al-Ahli Saudi on September 13.