Ronald called up at 38 year-of-age in Martinez’s first Portugal squad since taking over. Ex-Belgian boss said he “doesn’t look at age”.
At 38 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal career goes on, after the Al-Nassr star was named in Roberto Martinez’s first squad on Friday.
The veteran forward had been coy with his international future after Portugal’s last-eight disappointment to Morocco in Qatar. However, after it was reported that Martinez would likely once again rely on Ronaldo to lead the line, the news was confirmed on Friday in what was the Spaniard’s first squad since taking over from Fernando Santos at the helm in January.
On the decision to select Ronaldo, Martinez told reporters: “Cristiano Ronaldo is a very committed player. He can bring experience and is a very important figure for the team. I don’t look at age.”
Ronaldo is called up despite falling out of favour under Santos and being replaced in the XI by Benfica forward Goncalo Ramos, who is also selected following his dazzling displays for the Portuguese side this season. There is also room for Chelsea loanee Joao Felix and Liverpool’s Diogo Jota, despite the latter slowly getting back up to pace following a calf injury sustained in mid-October.
Currently level with Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa on 196 international appearances – the joint-most in men’s football history – Ronaldo will have the opportunity to surpass that tally in his side’s opening two European qualifiers.
Whether as a starter or from the bench, the 38-year-old will likely feature for Portugal in some capacity when they play Liechtenstein and Luxembourg on March 23 and 26, respectively.
