Martinez talks about Ronaldo s absence in 9-1: Mendes didn t play either, so he won t be sent in the future?

Hupu News on November 19 According to the "Ball" report, after successfully leading the Portuguese national team to the 2026 World Cup finals, Portugal coach Roberto Martinez delivered a speech at a lunch debate held in a hotel in Lisbon, during which he talked about Portugal-related topics and situations.

Talk about the Portuguese national team's 9-1 victory over Armenia in the absence of Ronaldo

The most important thing is that when the national team is missing key players, we can still win the game, and this time we successfully did it. It was a huge response, great leadership from within the team and I really appreciated the way we took control of the game.

Everyone is talking about it now. We scored 9 goals without Ronaldo. But you know, Ronaldo has scored 25 goals in the past 30 games, and no other forward can reach this level. We also defeated Armenia with a score of 9-1 in the absence of Nuno Mendes. Does this mean that we will not let Nuno Mendes play in the future? The key is that when important players are absent, the team must have a response plan and must have the responsibility and leadership to win the game.

Cristiano Ronaldo was criticized for not showing up at the Dragon Stadium against Armenia

I would like to make a distinction between leadership and dedication. I believe no one will question Ronaldo's dedication to the national team. He is a role model. No other player can play for the national team for 21 years.

Our approach is to use players selected for the national team roster to help the national team win the game. Players who are not selected for the squad have different concerns and ideas than the rest of the team, so the players who are not selected will not stay in the training camp and will not be close to the team, so that the selected players can focus on winning games for Portugal. Ronaldo deserves more respect for the leadership he has shown, as everyone has been talking about in recent days.

Talk about Cristiano Ronaldo visiting the White House and being received by US President Trump

I am very happy that we can participate in the World Cup, because it would be a shame to see Cristiano Ronaldo go to the White House and Portugal miss the World Cup (laughing). But it's great, Ronaldo is an ambassador for Portugal, he's so much more than a football player and he has a huge role outside of football. It was a day of rejoicing for all Portuguese people, who could witness a Portuguese ambassador entering the White House. No matter where he is, Ronaldo represents the national team and the Portuguese people.

Criticism from Portuguese fans

This is extremely normal. I think when the team loses, the sadness we all feel stems from our love for the national team. The national team belongs to each of us, so criticism and doubts are inevitable. What I don't like is unfounded criticism or rumors. There's a difference. Some people will maliciously attack the national team when the team loses, but I think the team's reaction, game results and performance against Armenia fully demonstrated the strength of the players in the training camp and also proved that we have a national team that we can be proud of.

Confidence given by Pedro Proenza, President of the Portuguese Football Federation

I must thank the President and the management for the support and strength they have given me, which has allowed me to continue my work. My job is always to try to improve the team and incorporate our experience into it to achieve promotion goals. We won the Nations League and now we will go all out to compete in the World Cup. The team is growing and improving significantly.

The reality that Portugal has never won the World Cup

I think this is the difference between a team that is a favorite and a team that believes it can win it. The situation is different. Portugal is not the favorite. The favorites are usually the teams that have already won the World Cup, but we feel that we can still fight for it and have the dream of winning it.

However, becoming popular is another matter. We need to put in a huge effort because in the knockout stages it is crucial that we sometimes have to believe that we can beat teams that have the experience of winning the World Cup. In the first step, we have successfully qualified. Next, we need to be mentally prepared. We believe that we can compete with those teams that hold the World Cup trophy.

Possible matches against Mexico next year

I can't reveal any information yet because it's not confirmed yet, but I would very much like to play against a non-UEFA team and I'd love to experience what it's like to play in a high-altitude, high-humidity environment. This is my idea as a coach. I also need to consider the time difference, the characteristics of other football federation teams, high altitude factors, climate conditions, etc. I watched the Club World Cup this summer and found that there are many important factors that we need to deal with. It would be perfect to have a game like this in March, but nothing is set in stone yet.