Portugal coach Roberto Martinez says Cristiano Ronaldo continues to play a vital role for the national team at 41 years of age.
Ronaldo, who is expected to captain Portugal in what would be a record sixth World Cup, is currently out of action with a hamstring problem.
“Cristiano is our captain, a role model and a player with a real hunger,” Martinez said.
“He’s not just a 41-year-old player; he’s a player who’s hungry to improve every day. He’s proving to be an exemplary captain and an inspiration to the younger players, someone who shows the way and embodies our values.
“And on the pitch, he’s scored 25 goals in the last 30 games. We assess the players on a day-to-day basis, session by session, and the standards in the national team are the highest for everyone.”
Portugal were without Ronaldo for the World Cup warm-up games against Mexico and the United States. The Portugal captain’s fitness was a concern after he sustained the muscular problem while playing for Saudi Pro League leaders Al Nassr on Feb. 28.
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Ronaldo is training separately at Al Nassr and could return to action next week, according to Martinez.
He has a minor injury and will probably be back playing and training next week” he said. “It’s nothing serious. Cristiano is our captain; he’s a very important player. He was our captain in the Nations League and plays a huge part in the team’s final third, that movement in the box.”
Ronaldo is the all-time men’s international leading goalscorer with 143 goals in 226 appearances for Portugal since making his debut in 2003.
He has not indicated when he will retire from football.
Asked about Ronaldo’s future, Martinez said. “The end of his career? We don’t know. “It’s hard to say. I’ve quickly learned not to try and predict the future with Cristiano. He focuses on being the best he can be right now. He doesn’t make plans for the future.”
