Cristiano Ronaldo set for Roberto Martinez showdown talks on Portugal

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New Portugal manager Roberto Martinez has revealed he plans to speak with Cristiano Ronaldo to discuss his role with the national team moving forward. Martinez was confirmed as Fernando Santos’s replacement following his dismissal after their World Cup exit at the quarter-final stage.

Portugal are now moving in a different direction with Martinez, who similarly lost his international job after the World Cup with Belgium. He now joins on a three-and-a-half-year contract until the end of the 2026 World Cup.

Martinez’s first international matches will come in March as Portugal get their European Championship qualifying campaign underway against Liechtenstein and Luxembourg. There’s still some doubts on whether Ronaldo, who was benched for the knockout stages of the World Cup, will return for his country.

And Martinez has confirmed that he plans to speak with Ronaldo in the coming days to discuss his future at international level. “Decisions have to be made on the pitch. I won’t rush into decisions,” Martinez said.

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“I want to meet everyone, and from today I want to talk and meet all the players. Cristiano is part of that list. He’s had 19 years in the national team and deserves respect, let’s talk.

“From there, it’s up to me to make the best list for the European Championships. Tomorrow we will start working to meet all the players, and Cristiano is one of them.

“We will start a football process to try to get to know all the players who will be able to join this team. We will give a chance to all players and respect all who are already in the team.

“I’m delighted to have them by my side. It’s a process that we have to face naturally, responsibly, and we’re going to make important decisions for the team.”

Ronaldo is yet to comment publicly on his future with Portugal, but did release a cryptic statement following their World Cup exit. Taking to Instagram last month, Ronaldo indicated that the tournament in Qatar will be his last World Cup – but stopped short of confirming his international retirement.

He wrote: “Winning a World Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of my career. Fortunately I won many titles of international dimension, including Portugal, but putting our country’s name on the highest foot in the World was my biggest dream.

“I fought for it. I fought hard for this dream. In the 5 appearances I scored in World Cups over 16 years, always by the side of great players and supported by millions of Portuguese, I gave my all. Leave it all out on the field. I never turned my face to the fight and I never gave up on that dream.

“Sadly yesterday the dream ended It’s not worth reacting to heat. I just want you all to know that much has been said, much has been written, much has been speculated, but my dedication to Portugal hasn’t changed for a moment. I was always one fighting for the objective of all and I would never turn my back on my colleagues and my country.

“For now, there’s not much more to say. Thank you, Portugal. Thank you, Qatar. The dream was beautiful while it lasted… Now, it’s time to be a good advisor and allow each one to draw their own conclusions.”

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