Roberto Martinez reveals why he refused to take off Cristiano Ronaldo against Spain in The FIFA World Cup 2026

Roberto Martinez has opened up about his decision to leave Cristiano Ronaldo on the field during Portugal’s loss to Spain at the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The 2016 European Champions fell short in the Last 16 fixture at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, USA.

Roberto Martinez says he couldn’t take Cristiano Ronaldo off

Roberto Martinez watched in despair as Spain scored in stoppage time to send Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo crashing out of the competition.

The moment will stick with the Spaniard for a very long time to come, as following the game, Martinez announced that he is stepping down as manager.

In the aftermath of the fixture, the media questioned why he’d made the decision to leave ‘CR7’ on the pitch despite many claiming that the 41-year-old, who’s significantly past his best, is a hindrance to the side.

WOW: Arjen Robben was more difficult to play against than Cristiano Ronaldo, says ex-Liverpool star

During a press conference, Martinez explained: “When you are a team who need a goal you cannot take him off. He’s physically very capable, in open space and from dead balls; anything in the box, you need his experience.

“Probably in extra time would be when you might use the energy of Gonçalo Ramos. Today, we had to keep the structure. It’s not the time to take your centre-forward, your best goalscorer off.”