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Portugal coach clears air on why Cristiano Ronaldo wasn't rested for Colombia clash: ‘It’s childish'
FIFA World Cup 2026: Cristiano Ronaldo failed to score against Colombia as the game ended in a goalless draw.
Portugal's road to the FIFA World Cup 2026 title became all the more tricky on Sunday after the side failed to top their group. Portugal played out a goalless draw against Colombia, and once again, the focus fell on Cristiano Ronaldo. The talisman failed to get on the scoring sheet, despite registering a brace in the previous match against Uzbekistan. Heading into the game against Colombia, one wondered whether Ronaldo would start on the bench, as both Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland didn't start in their respective final group-stage fixtures.
However, Portugal coach Roberto Martinez brushed aside the question of not resting Ronaldo, labelling the comparisons with other teams as “childish.” He added that Ronaldo, 41, remains fully capable of playing every minute of the World Cup.
Ronaldo has so far played every minute of Portugal's World Cup 2026 campaign. Speaking of his rival, Messi started on the bench for Argentina's final Group J match against Jordan but came on as a substitute. On the other hand, Haaland didn't feature for Norway against France, which the side lost 1-4.
“We don’t compare with other players of other teams. That would be childish,” Martinez said when asked why Ronaldo had not been rested like Messi and Haaland.
“Cristiano is used to being in the right place at the right time. It’s more a question of mentally being strong and always being disciplined in position and always opening space in our attacking patterns,” he said.
‘Not an issue’
According to the Portugal manager, Ronaldo's game is built around experience, discipline and intelligent movement, and hence he has him to play 90 minutes day in and day out.
“It’s not an issue for Cristiano to play 90 minutes, but maybe the next game we need to make a change, but that’s like any other player,” he said.
“We have used 21 outfield players, so we do share the minutes. We monitor all the information we get in games and training, and there is always an opportunity to make changes," he added.
Portugal’s second-place finish in the group means they now head into the Round of 32 with a tricky path, facing Croatia in Toronto. If Portugal wins that contest, there could be a meeting with European champions Spain in the round of 16.
“Now it’s time to adjust, improve and steer the matches where we want them, with more possession and better control. We needed these three matches to reach our best level," said Martinez.
“We want to be here for eight matches, and it is a different tournament now,” he added.
