Martinez says Ronaldo's World Cup role will depend on form

Cristiano Ronaldo’s place in Portugal’s World Cup plans now hinges on what he does in training and in matches, not on the number on his passport. Roberto Martinez said in Lisbon that the captain is judged by the same standards as everyone else, a message that points less to a farewell debate than to a broader question of succession.

Martinez said, “Age is only a number,” and argued that decisions for the 41-year-old forward are made day to day on the pitch. That stance matters because Ronaldo could appear in a sixth World Cup when the tournament opens on Thursday, June 11, 2026, in North America. Portugal’s first match is currently listed by FIFA as a Group K meeting with Congo DR on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, in Houston, a date that gives the coaching staff little time to settle how much of the attack should still run through its most famous player.

The deeper issue inside Portugal is not whether Ronaldo belongs in the squad. It is how a team with one of the game’s most decorated scorers, and 143 international goals for Portugal, fits him into a World Cup built on margins. FIFA’s expanded 48-team, 104-match format across Canada, Mexico and the United States raises the value of squad management, especially with the five-substitution rule blurring the line between starters and finishers. Martinez pointed to that reality as he framed Ronaldo less as a static icon than as a flexible attacking option.

That is where Portugal’s succession story becomes more revealing than a simple age-versus-legacy argument. The national team is still in qualifying, with FIFA listing Portugal first in UEFA Group F with 13 points from six matches, so every selection now carries both immediate and long-term weight. Martinez also signaled that Ronaldo’s role can change from game to game, which suggests Portugal are planning for a World Cup attack that does not depend on one fixed pattern or one fixed minute count.

The memory of 2022 still hangs over the conversation. Fernando Santos benched Ronaldo in a knockout match at that World Cup, a decision that showed how quickly Portugal can shift when form and tactical needs collide. Martinez did not invite a direct comparison, but his message was clear enough: Portugal are building for a tournament in which merit will decide minutes, and the next stage of the team will be shaped as much by what comes after Ronaldo as by what he still provides.