{"id":3931,"date":"2026-05-15T00:48:52","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T00:48:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/?p=3931"},"modified":"2026-05-15T00:48:52","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T00:48:52","slug":"portugals-roberto-martinez-cristiano-ronaldos-level-hasnt-dropped-at-al-nassr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/?p=3931","title":{"rendered":"Portugal\u2019s Roberto Martinez: Cristiano Ronaldo\u2019s Level Hasn&#039;t Dropped At Al-Nassr"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"subnav-title ff-ffc bold fs-23 lh-25 uc pd-b-10\">\n            POPULAR SEARCHES\n          <\/p>\n<p class=\"subnav-title ff-ffc bold fs-23 lh-25 uc pd-b-10\">\n            BROWSE BY\n          <\/p>\n<p class=\"ital ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6\"><img decoding=\"async\" height=\"20px\" src=\"https:\/\/b.fssta.com\/uploads\/application\/external-logos\/goal-dot-com-logo_black.svg\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Roberto Martinez has dismissed any suggestion that Cristiano Ronaldo&#8217;s move to the Saudi Pro League has diminished his effectiveness on the international stage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Following a scouting mission to Riyadh, the Portugal head coach expressed his admiration for the veteran striker\u2019s enduring hunger and physical condition as he prepares for another World Cup.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Martinez traveled to Saudi Arabia to witness the 1-1 draw between Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal at the King Saud University Stadium on Tuesday, May 12.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>The 52-year-old coach used the trip to evaluate the performances of Ruben Neves, Jo\u00e3o F\u00e9lix, and specifically national team captain Ronaldo.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Despite being 41 years old, Ronaldo has enjoyed a prolific season, netting 26 goals and providing three assists to help put Al-Nassr at the summit of the Saudi Pro League.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Speaking to the German Press Agency (DPA), Portugal coach Martinez insisted that the former Manchester United star remains a vital asset for the national side.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>&#8220;Cristiano continues to have a great desire to win and I see no sign that his level has dropped since he came to Saudi Arabia. He is playing exceptionally well and has proven his importance to the Portuguese national team,&#8221; he said. &#8220;His passion continues, even after all the successes and achievements he has reached, and having that hunger is quite remarkable.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>While acknowledging Ronaldo\u2019s legendary status, Martinez emphasized that the forward must still meet the high standards expected of every squad member.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>&#8220;However, achievements alone are not enough to guarantee a place in the national team. It is also necessary to contribute to the team&#8217;s success,&#8221; Martinez noted. &#8220;Although he is the captain and has achieved unprecedented success that demonstrates his exceptional talent, he has the same responsibilities as any other player on the national team.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>The focus now shifts to Tuesday, May 19, when Martinez will officially announce his 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Should he be selected, Ronaldo will embark on a historic sixth World Cup finals appearance since his tournament debut back in 2006. Portugal are set to begin their North American campaign on June 17 against DR Congo in Houston, marking the start of a challenging Group K that also features Uzbekistan and Colombia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>POPULAR SEARCHES BROWSE BY Roberto Martinez has dismissed any suggestion that Cristiano Ronaldo&#8217;s move to the Saudi Pro League has diminished his effectiveness on the international stage. Following a scouting mission to Riyadh, the Portugal head coach expressed his admiration for the veteran striker\u2019s enduring hunger and physical condition as he prepares for another World [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":3930,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3931"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3931\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3930"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}