Portugal's coach on Ronaldo: He earns his spot 'on merit'

Portugal will play their first game at the UEFA European Championship in Group F against the Czech Republic on Tuesday. Coach Roberto Martinez told reporters on Monday that 39-year-old team captain Cristiano Ronaldo earned his spot "on merit."

"Cristiano is in the national team on merit," Martinez said at a press conference. "Nobody gets into the national team by just having a name. Cristiano scored 50 goals in 51 games – consistent with his club in his league – and he scored nine goals in our qualification rounds."

Ronaldo was dropped to the bench by former coach Fernando Santos in his last two major international appearances for Portugal at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022. He left Manchester United after the tournament and joined Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia. The striker nicknamed 'CR-7' scored 50 goals for the club in the past season.

"He's a goal scorer and for us he's someone who can make that final move," Martinez said of Ronaldo. "He can stretch defenses and open spaces. Over the years, he has changed his way of playing slightly, but I can only say that Cristiano is in the national team on merit and the numbers are there to back that up."

Portugal won their first Euros title in 2016, but lost to Belgium in the round of 16 in the last edition of the tournament in 2021. Ronaldo scored five goals in 2021, tying with Patrik Schick of the Czech Republic for most finishes.

"He represents inspiration, he represents that everything is possible," defender Ruben Dias said of Ronaldo. "He represents that you can dream and you can achieve it. He represents a lot of things, but mainly I would like to say that it's a pleasure to have him with us. More than all these little things, him being with us in this moment of his career, he shows that he really wants to win again. He's our captain and we follow him until the end."