Ronaldo has rewritten the history books on a regular basis and Martinez insists there is nothing that CR7 has to achieve in order to be recognised as the greatest of all-time. The Spanish tactician has told the Portugal Football Summit Podcast: “He will be the greatest player ever, whether he wins the World Cup or not.
“Our responsibility is to give ourselves the best possible chance to compete for it. That comes from analysing, improving constantly, and maintaining the same mindset that helped us succeed in the Nations League.”
Martinez added on getting to see what makes Ronaldo special when working with him up close: “I have never worked with a player who, every morning, has this focus on using the day to improve. If we could have Cristiano forever, it would be the easiest way to help younger players when they arrive at the national team. His desire is to use every day to become better.”
Portugal boss Martinez has previously told ESPN of why CR7 continues to set the standard for players around the world despite now being in his 40s: “I think we need to accept that everyone in the world knows Cristiano Ronaldo and has an opinion [about him]. But the Cristiano Ronaldo who joined the national team 21 years ago is not the same Cristiano he is now. Now, he's much more of a positional player, a striker. He's a player who, for us, is a finisher. He's the all-time leading scorer. So, having a player who now has 25 goals in the last 30 games for the national team is a gift.”
