'Different from Hong Myung-bo': Portugal coach refuses to substitute Ronaldo until the end, saying, "Substituting the world's best striker? That makes no sense"

*This content was translated by AI.

Roberto Martinez (53, Spain), head coach of the Portugal national football team, directly explained why he did not substitute the struggling Cristiano Ronaldo (41, Al-Nassr) during the Democratic Republic of Congo match for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

According to global media outlet ESPN, Coach Martinez said at a press conference immediately after the 1-1 draw in the Group K opener against the Democratic Republic of Congo at Houston Stadium in the United States on the 18th (Korean time), "It makes no sense to remove the world's best striker when goals are needed."

On this day, Portugal took the lead with an early goal by Joao Neves (Paris Saint-Germain) in the 6th minute of the first half but conceded an equalizer from Yoane Wissa (Newcastle United) late in the first half. Unable to break the tight balance thereafter, the match ended in a 1-1 draw. FIFA rankings place Portugal at fifth and the Democratic Republic of Congo at 46th. The Democratic Republic of Congo, competing under the name Zaire, has reached the World Cup finals for the first time in 52 years since the 1974 West Germany tournament. Portugal became the first team to concede a goal and earn a point against the Democratic Republic of Congo in World Cup history.

Despite Ronaldo's poor performance, with little presence throughout the match, attention focused on him immediately after the shocking draw. Ronaldo struggled to threaten opponents from the front line, with his first shot of the day coming in the 23rd minute of the second half. His subsequent three shots all missed the goal. Given his minimal presence and the urgent need for a goal, there was a possibility of substituting him with another attacker, yet Coach Martinez kept him on the field until the end.

The problem is that Ronaldo's poor form is not limited to this match. He has not scored a field goal in any major tournament since June 19, 2021. In World Cup matches, he has gone five consecutive games without scoring, and including both the World Cup and the UEFA European Championship (Euro), he has failed to score in 10 consecutive major tournament matches. Despite this, he played the full 90 minutes, prompting post-match questions. Coach Martinez justified the full-time appearance by praising Ronaldo as "the world's best striker."

Coach Martinez's decision stands in stark contrast to the "bold move" previously highlighted in the case of Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the South Korea national football team.

On the 12th, during the Group A opener against the Czech Republic, Coach Hong substituted Son Heung-min (LAFC), a key player for the national team, with Oh Hyeon-gyu (Besiktas JK) in the 24th minute of the second half. At the time, Son Heung-min had taken six shots without success. Nevertheless, Hong's decision to sub out the team captain and ace Son Heung-min drew attention from foreign media outlets including the UK's BBC. Coincidentally, Oh Hyeon-gyu, who replaced Son Heung-min, scored the winning goal in the 35th minute of the second half.

Criticism also emerged regarding Coach Martinez's decision not to substitute Ronaldo. Chris Sutton, a former English Premier League (EPL) player, stated on BBC broadcast that "not substituting Ronaldo was a shameful decision." He added, "Coach Martinez is afraid to substitute Ronaldo. Of course, Ronaldo could score, but he is already far removed from the flow of the game."

Meanwhile, Coach Martinez emphasized that there is no need to attach great significance to the draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo. He said, "Such things always happen in the World Cup," adding, "Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia at the 2022 Qatar tournament but still won the title, and Spain lost to Switzerland at the 2010 South Africa tournament yet rose to the top." Portugal will face Uzbekistan on the 24th and Colombia on the 28th in the Group K second and third matches of the World Cup.

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*This content was translated by AI.