Roberto Martinez has insisted that substituting Cristiano Ronaldo during Portugal's World Cup defeat to Spain would have contradicted his tactical approach. Portugal exited the tournament after Mikel Merino's 91st-minute goal secured a 1-0 victory for Spain, who advance to face Belgium in the quarter-finals on Friday.
Martinez defends Ronaldo's full 90 minutes
Ronaldo, 41, struggled to influence the game but remained on the pitch for the entire match, with Martinez opting not to bring on Paris Saint-Germain striker Goncalo Ramos. The forward scored three goals at the World Cup this summer—two in a 5-0 win over Uzbekistan and a penalty in the 2-1 victory against Croatia in the last-32 stage—but faced criticism for his limited impact in Portugal's attack.
When asked about keeping Ronaldo on the field, Martinez said: 'It's an easy way to analyse things. Physically, Cristiano was fully fit to play 90 minutes. He creates space, adapts to situations. It's very important to have someone like that inside the penalty area.'
Tactical reasoning and player management
Martinez elaborated on his decision, stating: 'Perhaps in extra time it would have been good to have Goncalo Ramos, but that wasn't the strategy today. Today we needed to be able to stop Spain's attacking players, and it didn't make sense to take our forwards off. Rafael Leao was the best player against Croatia, the last time he played 90 minutes was some time ago, and he needed to be protected.'
The manager dismissed criticism of his team's performance: 'I'm not at all disappointed with the performance. We wanted to reach the final, and I'm extremely proud. We played against one of the favourites and created discomfort at times, but when we don't score, we run this risk. We've already played against France, Spain, Germany, we won the Nations League… I look at the journey with pride. The result today wasn't what we expected, but that happens in tournaments like this.'
Martinez confirms departure as Portugal head coach
Martinez confirmed that his contract expired after the World Cup and he is leaving his role. Former Benfica head coach Jorge Jesus, who managed Ronaldo at Al-Nassr last season, is the favourite to replace him.
'It's true that this is my last game for the Portuguese national team but I have two points to make. First, I want to thank the Portuguese people because it was an incredible period, a source of pride I can't describe. The strength, the energy of the fans, of the entire population. Thank you for that. I'll take these memories with me for a lifetime,' Martinez said.
'Second, I want to thank the players for their work because it was incredible. So much talent. But it was the commitment to being a team. It's very easy to have good players in the national team because they are the best, but the important thing is to form a team. These are 45 games, the best numbers in Portugal's history. And that's the players' commitment.'
Reflecting on his tenure
Martinez added: 'Memories of winning the Nations League, of breaking records… I want to thank the Federation for all the conditions, the coaching staff, who from day one showed an incredible level of professionalism. They worked very hard to help our players. I take incredible memories with me and my gratitude to the Portuguese people.
'I came to Portugal to win the World Cup and I think that, without winning, it doesn't make sense to continue. The board and the president now have the possibility to choose the new coach. The president has always supported my work, but my contract ends today. There's not much more to say.'
