Portugal avoid ‘childish’ comparisons between Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi & Erling Haaland as Roberto Martinez explains why unique 41-year-old doesn’t need a rest

Martinez has dismissed the idea of resting Ronaldo, insisting it would be "childish" to compare his captain's physical needs to those of Messi or Haaland. Ronaldo played the full 90 minutes during Portugal’s 0-0 draw with Colombia, a result that saw the Selecao finish second in Group K.

The 41-year-old has now completed all 270 minutes of his country’s group stage fixtures, even as other nations opted to rotate their star men ahead of the knockout rounds. While Norway and Argentina chose to hand Haaland and Messi breaks, Martinez remains adamant that his talisman is "mentally and physically" capable of leading the line without a rest.

Addressing the media in Miami Gardens, Martinez was quick to shut down questions regarding why Ronaldo hasn't been rotated. "We don't compare with other players of other teams," the Spaniard stated. "That would be childish. Cristiano is used to being in the right place at the right time. It's more a question of mentally being strong and always being disciplined in position and always opening space in our attacking patterns."

The coach further explained that his selection process is based on individual data rather than outside narratives. "It's not an issue for Cristiano to play 90 minutes, but maybe the next game we need to make a change, but that's like any other player. We have used 21 outfield players, so we do share the minutes," he added, highlighting his squad management strategy throughout the tournament.

Portugal utilized several tactical substitutions during the stalemate with Colombia, but Ronaldo remained the one constant on the pitch. Martinez pointed out that other areas of the field require more frequent rotation due to the physical demands of specific roles. "Today, we used Joao Neves and Ruben Neves for 45 minutes, we did the same with Diogo Dalot and Joao Cancelo because different positions have different needs," he said.

Determining who starts and who sits is a science for the Portugal backroom staff. Martinez emphasized the importance of their internal metrics, noting: "There are some players who are not at full fitness, but all of the data we collect is very important in helping us make those decisions." Despite Ronaldo's lack of goal involvement against Colombia, the manager remains confident in his captain's conditioning.

The draw against Colombia means Portugal must now prepare for a Round of 32 clash against Croatia in Toronto this Thursday. Failure to win the group has potentially placed them on a collision course with Euro 2024 winners Spain in the following round, but Martinez is focused on the immediate evolution of his team as they enter the business end of the tournament.

"Now it's time to adjust, improve, and steer the matches where we want them, with more possession and better control," Martinez explained. "This is part of the World Cup, part of the existing tactics, and as I said, we needed these three matches to reach our best level. It was a very valuable match. We want to be here for eight matches and it is a different tournament now."