Brenda De la Mora

🚨Roberto Martínez on Cristiano Ronaldo's retirement from the Portuguese national team: 🗣️“It's a shame what has happened. A legend of a nation, someone who has given everything to Portuguese football, and he doesn't even get a farewell game? Honestly, this is embarrassing for Portuguese football. I think the coach and everyone involved in this situation have to take some responsibility. When I was there, people argued with me whenever I put Ronaldo in a match. They always said he was too old, but this is much bigger than age. We're talking about a legacy built over an entire lifetime. You cannot measure Cristiano's contribution to Portugal by looking at his age or how many minutes he can play. You have to look at everything he has done for that country. The goals, the leadership, the sacrifices and the moments he gave millions of Portuguese supporters. Even if you believe his time on the pitch should be limited, that doesn't mean you cannot give him the respect he deserves. A farewell appearance would not have been about football tactics or whether he could still play 90 minutes. It would have been about recognising what someone has given to an entire nation. I wish I were still the coach of the Portuguese national team. I would have made sure there was an opportunity for him to have that final moment with the supporters. Imagine the atmosphere, the fans standing up, the entire stadium celebrating a player who has represented them for so many years. That is something special. Cristiano will certainly never be forgotten. You can replace a player, you can find another goalscorer, but you cannot replace the history he has created. In the end, it is what it is. But I genuinely believe legends deserve proper goodbyes. Football should never become so focused on the next generation that it forgets the people who built its history.”