After a poor performance from Cristiano Ronaldo’s national team at Euro 2024 and the squad’s struggle to score during their UEFA Nations League clash with Scotland, people are now debating the team’s over-reliance on the Portuguese football legend to win a match.
According to Goal, despite Ronaldo’s recent form being questioned, his standout performance in the Nations League has reaffirmed his prowess.
The 39-year-old Al Nassr striker, who missed out on many goals during this year’s European Championship, was benched by the team’s 51-year-old manager, Roberto Martinez, for the Nations League match against Scotland on Sunday.
However, the five-time Ballon d’Or award winner impressed critics when he scored the winning goal against Scotland in the dying minutes of the match.
He had even managed to score during Portugal’s opening match against Croatia.
Ronaldo’s performance in the Nations League so far has led Martinez to face critcism for the squad’s struggle to score goals this year, leading to concerns about their dependence on the team’s captain to get favourable results.
However, the former Belgium coach has vehemently denied the suggestions.
Speaking to the media persons, Martinez said: “Dependence? He’s an incredible player. There’s no dependence. He’s an asset. In front of goal, he’s very important. His intelligence in opening up spaces is important. Talking about dependence is not something I value.”
Martinez will be very pleased with Portugal’s start to the Nations League group stages with two wins in two games as the September international period comes to an end.
Portugal will be in action again next month when they take on Poland and Scotland.
