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”Sorry, I have to cut off your conversation. I need my federal coach, the Portuguese TV stations are waiting.” If the Portuguese press chief had not intervened, we would no doubt still be speaking with our ex-federal coach Roberto Martinez, who was visibly delighted to see the DH in the draw in Hamburg.
Roberto Martinez, congratulations on your flawless performance with Portugal!
”Yes thank you, we have a good group. And I’m taking advantage of the experience I brought back from Belgium. Remember that we also won our ten matches in the qualifying campaign. It’s up to us to continue our momentum. What do I find in our draw? (Editor’s note: Portugal faces Turkey, the Czech Republic and a play-off). I’m especially happy that we have a few more days before playing our first match. Like Belgium.”
It works very well between Cristiano Ronaldo and you.
”He is very dedicated. He wants things to be done well. And he has changed a little as a player. In the large rectangle, he remains formidable.”
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And to think that he was considered too old, at 38 years old. But he scored 10 goals.
”We must judge people based on their performance, not on the basis of their age. He is the first on the training ground and the last to leave it. He has played more than 200 matches for the national team (Editor’s note: 204) and he always wants more. It is thanks to this mentality that he achieves all this. Football is still an obsession for him.”
Do you hope to meet Belgium at this Euro? Or would you rather avoid us?
”If we meet, that means we both passed the first round, which is the first objective. I had incredible moments with Belgium, where I spent a large part of my life. So it’s not a match I want to avoid.”
Are you still in contact with certain Devils?
“No. I believe it is important to remain professional. In international football, the work is very intense. It’s better to savor the beautiful memories.”
What did you find about the Courtois saga?
“I didn’t follow this story. But above all it’s a shame that Thibaut is injured for so long.”
The Belgian base camp at the Euro between Frankfurt and Stuttgart?
2023-12-04 09:30:00
#Ronaldo #Belgium #Portugal #Courtois #Martinez #spoke #longer #contact #Devils
