New Portugal Coach Pledges to Respect Ronaldo's History with the Squad

Former Belgium coach Spanish Roberto Martínez was hired to lead Portugal's national team on Monday and pledged to respect Cristiano Ronaldo's history with the squad. The Spaniard Martinez left the coaching of the Belgian national team after his sudden exit from the first round of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The Spaniard replaces Fernando Santos, who quit in December after Portugal's elimination against Morocco in the quarterfinals of the World Cup. Santos left amid the controversy of benching Ronaldo in the knockout stage of the tournament in Qatar. “I want to talk to everyone. The list of 26 players from the last World Cup will be my starting point, and Cristiano was part of that list,” Martínez said. “He has been with the national team for 19 years and deserves the respect of us sitting down and talking. We want to get to know all players, and Cristiano is one of them.” Martínez ended his six-year stint with Belgium after the team's disappointing group-stage elimination at the World Cup when he again failed to lead the nation's golden generation to a triumph. Roberto Martínez concluded by saying: "It's my job to try to give all players an opportunity and to respect the ones who are already with the national team, including Cristiano Ronaldo," Martínez said. "It's a process that will have to occur naturally. We have a lot of work and a lot of responsibility, and we will have to make some important decisions for the national team."