Cristiano Ronaldo is preparing to face the second half of the season, which will conclude with the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America. Expectations around the Portugal national team ahead of the tournament are enormous, and head coach Roberto Martinez addressed the role of the veteran forward.
During an interview with Marca, Martinez was asked why Ronaldo remains an undisputed figure in the national team despite his advanced age. “His attitude,” the coach began. “That maximum level of demand he places on himself to be available and to help is what allows the team captain to always be included in the squad.”
Cristiano Ronaldo will turn 41 on February 5, an unusually advanced age for an elite international player. And yet, he continues to show a high level of commitment and motivation every time he plays for Portugal, whether in crucial matches such as World Cup qualifiers and the UEFA Nations League, or in friendlies.
“That hunger to be the best is transmitted on the field. It’s contagious… He’s at a very good moment in his career,” the coach said. Those words are backed up by the numbers: since Martinez took over as head coach, Cristiano Ronaldo has appeared in 30 of Portugal’s 36 matches.
Cristiano Ronaldo playin for Portugal.
Cristiano Ronaldo shows his commitment through goals
Over nearly three years under Roberto Martinez, Cristiano Ronaldo has not only demonstrated his commitment by featuring in almost every national team match, but has also delivered outstanding performances.
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“Twenty-five goals in 30 matches playing as a ‘number nine’ shows that what he does on the field generates a lot for the national team,” Martinez reflected in the same interview. “Cristiano affects the opponent. When he’s on the field, space opens up because there are always two players focused on marking him.”
Finally, the coach addressed the records Ronaldo could break—particularly the milestone of 1,000 career goals—if he maintains his current approach. “What he has achieved is because he lives day to day. When he talks about his goals, he moves far away from the long term: from reaching 1,000, from playing a certain number of matches,” Martinez explained. “His secret is being the best today and enjoying the present. Then the number will simply be a consequence of the day he decides to stop. I don’t think it’s a goal.”
Ronaldo’s longevity
If nothing unexpected happens in the coming months, Cristiano Ronaldo will become the first player—likely alongside Lionel Messi—to appear in six World Cups. That remarkable achievement will be accompanied by another notable detail: he would do so at 41 years old, an extremely rare age at that level of competition.
In fact, Cristiano Ronaldo would become the fourth-oldest player in World Cup history. At 41 years and 126 days, he would trail only Essam El Hadary of Egypt (45 years, 161 days), Faryd Mondragon of Colombia (43 years, 3 days), and Roger Milla of Cameroon (42 years, 39 days).
