Portuguese national team gives full support to the criticized Cristiano Ronaldo

In preparation for the Euro 2016 quarter-final against France, Portugal has put up a wall in the face of criticism directed at Cristiano Ronaldo: both coach Roberto Martínez and Bernardo Silva have come out in defense of the Portuguese captain.

“He is an example: someone who wants to win every day, who wants to compete every day, even though he has won everything and has many records. When you have a player so committed, you forget what he did in the past. It is a privilege,” highlighted the Spanish coach of Portugal during the press conference before the game against France.

Not only has Ronaldo been criticized, but also the entire team, which has gotten worse throughout the tournament: “The criticism shows the people’s passion for the national team. I accept it, but I also believe that we have very important players and a very competitive dressing room. My job is for our players to perform at their best and that is what I promise the fans,” added Martínez.

Bernardo Silva also defended himself from the criticism: “I feel like I’m doing my best and I’ll continue to do so. I know I can improve, but I don’t think we’re in a bad position.” And, of course, the Manchester City midfielder came to the defense of Cristiano, who broke down in tears after missing a penalty in the round of 16 match against Slovenia, before the Portuguese team won the shootout.

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— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) July 4, 2024

“We are human and he was emotional when he missed the penalty. It is completely acceptable,” Silva said of his 39-year-old teammate. “In my opinion it was a very well taken penalty and the save by (Slovene goalkeeper) Jan Oblak was very good,” added the midfielder, who insisted that criticism was “part of the job”.

Regarding Friday’s opponents, Bernardo Silva said: “I don’t know how France will play. Looking at the players they have, they are not prepared to be defensive with 11 players behind the ball for 90 minutes. So we might have more space.”

And regarding Portugal’s ambitions, Silva admitted that there is only one: the title. “It’s an incredible opportunity to get closer to our main objective, which is to take the trophy home.”

The now City player recalled his time at Monaco, when he met then-teenager Kylian Mbappé. “He joined us at Monaco when he was 16 and after a week I would look at Joao Moutinho and say, ‘Who is this boy? He stood out from the rest. I’m happy he’s had such a great career and I wish him the best… but not tomorrow,” he concluded.