Portugal's manager has revealed why he keeps picking Cristiano Ronaldo for the national team, despite him being 39 years old.
Earlier this week, Portugal confirmed their squad for the 2024 UEFA European Championship, with five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo leading pack for his record sixth showing at the tournament.
Although he is now just a whisker away from 40, the centre-forward has registered a remarkable 42 goals and 13 assist in 42 matches for Al Nassr across all competitions so far this season, seemingly warranting his inclusion for yet another Euros campaign, this time in Germany.
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National team boss Roberto Martinez has since explained the importance of having Ronaldo in his team, arguing that his numbers speak for themselves.
He told reporters, per Goal: "As for Cristiano Ronaldo, I think it's better to talk about statistics. A player who scores 42 goals in 41 games for his club shows continuity, a physical ability to always be fit, and quality in front of goal that we really like and need.
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"We don't make choices based on where the players play. We want to create the best team and call the 26 players who make up the best team.
"We monitor the players' individual performance and role that they have in the locker room.
"There are players who have secondary roles in important locker rooms and others who have important roles in less strong locker rooms. Since March 2023 until now, we have a lot of information."
According to UEFA, Ronaldo is the holder of several records for the Euros, including the most goals scored (55, including qualifiers), the
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