On August 20, 2003, Cristiano Ronaldo he put on the Portugal shirt for the first time in his life, in a friendly against Kazakhstan. So in five months, the account is simple, the striker of Al Nassr will celebrate two decades as an international. And he will, barring injury, as captain and leader of his teama condition that was left in doubt after the last World Cup, but that Roberto Martinez He has solidified in his first two games in charge of the Portuguese team.
The international break in March has already ended for Portugal, after a more than affordable window to start qualifying for Euro 2024. Last Thursday, they thrashed Liechtenstein (4-0) and on Sunday they did the same at home against Luxembourg (0-6), two teams from the caboose of European football. In both parties, Cristiano was a starter, captain and scorer.
Cristiano’s match record
In the first of them he achieved a new milestone in his career, filled with them, by becoming the footballer with the most caps in historyin an account that already reaches 198 games. If he does not mediate an injury or some other unforeseen event, Cristiano will reach a round figure in June that for weeks seemed like a pipe dream.
Because Cristiano, it is convenient not to forget it, It was very marked during the World Cup in Qatar. The then coach, Fernando Santos, decided to relegate him to the bench in the round of 16, after a poor performance in the first phase and a rarefied climate in the dressing room. The bet turned out so well, with his substitute Gonçalo Ramos scoring three goals, that he decided to repeat it in the quarterfinals, where Portugal was eliminated against Morocco.
Everything that happened in Doha, together with the decision to close a chapter in European football for be seduced by Saudi Arabian petrodollars, They led to the feeling that Cristiano’s cycle in his team had ended, he was already 38 years old. Only the already announced departure of Santos left room for a doubt that had finally become a reality.
The arrival of Roberto Martinez
because who got at the controls of Portugal was the Spanish Roberto Martinez, without time to digest his painful end of cycle in Belgium. And one of the first things that Martínez did was head to Saudi Arabia to speak face to face with the captain of his new team. A conclave in which reaffirmed him as leader of Portugalannouncing that he entered into his plans.
“Cristiano’s experience at the international level is unique. He is a reference for the dressing room, he is prepared to lead and be the captain of this team. He has the record for international matches in the world and that gives us very important experience. The youngsters They want to prove their worth and the role of players like Cristiano is to contribute their experience“, expressed the technician a few days ago.
‘Bob’ Martínez’s position is not surprising, since his resume was there to leave the appropriate clues that he would continue betting on Cristiano. During his time in Belgium, he continued to trust until the end in the most veteran of the dressing room, such as the central defenders Vertonghen and Alderweireld or the Atlético Witsel midfielder.
Roberto Martinez and Hazard
But, above all, he acted as a firm defender of Eden Hazard in his lowest momentswhich are the current. Since he moved to Waterloo in 2016, Martínez has appointed him captain and leader of the team. It was easy to do in the early years, when he was maybe the best soccer player Premier League in the ranks of Chelseabut it also continued to do so in more recent times.
Despite lacking prominence at Real Madrid, Martínez always took care of Hazard and kept faith in him. He started the first two games of the World Cup and he only visited the bench in the third (he barely played three minutes), when it became clear that things were not going well at all. In that match, after drawing against Croatia, everything ended.
Cristiano chases another record
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Now the Spanish coach repeats his strategy with Cristiano. And although the sample is small (two games) and of little qualitative value, given the entity of the rivals, the conclusion is positive. Two goals against Liechtenstein and two against Luxembourg, in both duels being substituted in the second part without the ‘7’ seeming to take it the hard way. Which is already quite an achievement.
Without the demands of playing in a major European league, Cristiano points to the Eurocup next year in Germany, when he will have already exceeded 39 years. Common sense dictates that this will be his last international season, but with him it is not possible to rule out trying to extend his career with Portugal until 2026, thus becoming the only footballer (Messi could also achieve it) in play six World Cups. It would be another record. And they go…
