Roberto Martinez has insisted that Cristiano Ronaldo is “still as hungry for goals as an 18-year-old” despite his ineffective showing against Iceland.
Portugal defeated Iceland 2-0 in their final match to end their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with a perfect record. Martinez’s team won all three points thanks to goals from Bruno Fernandes and Ricardo Horta, but Ronaldo had a difficult game in the last third of the pitch.
Ronaldo was largely ineffective against Iceland and missed a golden chance from three yards out before Horta tapped in the rebound to wrap up Portugal’s victory. Still, the 38-year-old striker did manage to hit 10 goals through his nine appearances in the Group J qualifiers, and Martinez is confident that he hasn’t lost his edge.
Quizzed on Ronaldo’s performance after the game, Portugal boss Martinez told reporters: “Cristiano Ronaldo is as hungry as an 18-year-old player. He is a role model, he always tries to be in the right position and is looking for the goal.”
The respect the Portugal squad has for Ronaldo was underlined by a gesture from Roma goalkeeper Rui Patricio after the final whistle. As per The Sun, The Al-Nassr star gave away his shirt to an opposition player and substitute Patricio then offered him his coat to stay warm.
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR RONALDO?Ronaldo will now return to club duty with Al-Nassr, who currently sit second in the Saudi Pro League table. The Portugal captain will be in line to start when Luis Castro’s team take on Al-Akhdoud on Friday, and will be hoping to add to his haul of 13 goals in the 2023-24 competition.
