Martinez on Ronaldo’s absence: Not called up, not with the squad | OneFootball

At the press conference previewing the decisive match against Armenia this Sunday (2:00 PM), which guarantees direct qualification for the 2026 World Cup, national coach Roberto Martínez made statements about the team and disciplinary matters.

Cristiano Ronaldo absent from the Dragão this Sunday

“His focus is not on playing. So we always, always work this way. When a player is not on the matchday squad list, he is not with the national team. Why? Because the focus of the other players is on winning the game. And we’ve already done this with Bruno, who wasn’t in Ireland. Cristiano already had cards in the game against Slovakia and the next match was Luxembourg, our biggest ever victory, and Cris wasn’t there. These are questions that, to me, are disrespectful to Cristiano and to the national team players. It’s like questioning Cristiano’s commitment. Why should we talk about this? He is our captain, he’s won many games for the national team, his commitment is impeccable. And now he has cards and can’t be here. That’s part of the way we work. He can’t be here.”

“I saw Cristiano’s reaction to a provocation, which started at the beginning of the game, in every play in the box with the center backs, and even the day before, at the press conference. It was a reaction of trying to keep playing. It was not a violent action. We need to show the case and prepare well for what would be very unfair—a long suspension.”

Pedro Proença was present at the conference

“We all work together, very united, and that’s important at all times, after victories and defeats. We have a winning environment. We are all together.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.