Roberto Martinez reveals why he continues to pick Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal at age of 40

Ronaldo continues to be the mainstay of the national team.

Roberto Martinez has underlined Cristiano Ronaldo’s best quality in order to explain why Portugal continue to select him at the age of forty.

About 22 years after making his senior international debut in 2003, Ronaldo is still chosen by his nation to play in important international matches. It should come as no surprise that during the course of an impressive career, several records have been broken.

With 135 goals and 217 caps, Ronaldo is the top scorer in men’s international football. With CR7 showing no signs of easing down, more appearances and goals are likely to come.

He is still a lucky charm for Al-Nassr, a Saudi Pro League team. He plans to score 1,000 goals in his career before considering retirement. His other objective is to make it to the 2026 World Cup finals.

Martinez, the manager of Portugal, explained to Coaches Voice why he keeps using the dependable five-time Ballon d’Or winner:

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more goals after turning 30 (464) than before (463) 🍷 pic.twitter.com/Hif8QDjaTE

— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 10, 2025

“When I talk about a player like Cristiano Ronaldo, I also evaluate him on the basis of these three key aspects. His talent is indisputable; he is one of the best in the history of football. His experience is also unique: the only player to play in six European Championships and to have more than 200 international matches.

“But what stands out the most is his commitment. His passion for representing Portugal is contagious and motivates the entire team. He is not in the team today for what he has been, but for what he continues to be: the top scorer with 17 goals in the 21 games we have played in two years.”

As a two-leg quarterfinal matchup with Denmark draws near, Ronaldo and Portugal are now preparing for another chance at UEFA Nations League success. Martinez’s team is scheduled to begin their qualifying games for the 2026 World Cup in September.

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