Martínez: When Ronaldo Scores, People Ask "What Without Him?"; When He’s Absent & We Win, They Ask "Who Needs Him?"

In the UEFA World Cup Qualifiers, Portugal thrashed Armenia 9-1. After the game, Portugal national team coach Roberto Martínez attended the press conference and discussed topics including qualifying for the World Cup and the team’s performance in Ronaldo’s absence.

——After the loss to Ireland, this victory is a perfect response. How to carry this desire to win into the World Cup finals?

The players showed 100% focus and commitment. In fact, we confirmed qualification at halftime—the real challenge was adjusting the team’s mentality to eliminate the heavy burden of "must not lose." The team lacked decisiveness against Ireland, but tonight we bounced back with a focused performance. During the ten-game winning streak en route to Euro 2024, the team was far from the maturity we have now. It’s these challenges that drive us to grow, after all, national team training time is limited. The cohesion the dressing room displayed in adversity will be a valuable asset as we chase the World Cup.

——How to summarize this qualifying campaign?

Although we secured qualification, we must reflect on why we failed to beat Hungary and Ireland. Against Hungary, we voluntarily gave up possession in the last 20 minutes; against Ireland, we suffered my first defeat in 43 World Cup qualifiers—this was not a tactical issue, but a strategic imbalance caused by eagerness to win. These experiences have sounded the alarm for World Cup preparations. At Euro 2024, we lacked championship resilience, but the subsequent UEFA Nations League title proved the team has transformed. Now we need to inject the Portuguese spirit into the pitch, using talent and unity to chase the country’s first World Cup.

We are in this phase now. We must prepare well for the World Cup. Our expectation is to give our all and reflect the values of the Portuguese people on the pitch. The national team has talent, and we will strive to win the World Cup. This has never been achieved before, and it won’t be easy—we must be united. I want to thank the Porto hotel for their support the day after the loss to Ireland. It was a difficult time, but this care helped us.

The criticism we received was unfair; some facts were distorted, and malicious opinions do not help the national team. We should not have been criticized like that after losing to Ireland. We ultimately finished top of the group without needing to calculate points. Now, the criticism can be put aside.

——What do you think of João Neves and Carlos Forbs’ performances?

Neves’ free-kick has a story—Bruno Fernandes stayed late after training yesterday to guide him in taking penalties. This goal reflects the positive atmosphere in the dressing room.

Forbs showed unique qualities: strong impact, outstanding speed, and the ability to play on both flanks. His emergence fills the gap left by Pedro Neto’s injury. Such versatile players are rare in modern football.

——Does Ronaldo’s absence prove other players can take on more responsibility?

We have 25 outfield players with their own characteristics. Ronaldo has always been the focus of public opinion—when he scores, people ask "What without him?"; when he’s absent and we win, there are claims of "Who needs Ronaldo?" But competitively, it’s completely different: Bruno Fernandes’ leadership, Rúben Dias and Bernardo Silva’s commitment, together form a diverse leadership. Nuno Mendes is the best left-back in the world, and Neto was a key contributor to the Nations League title—our deep squad is the reason we are not afraid of personnel changes.

——How do you feel about being awarded by the President of the Republic?

Thank you to the President and Prime Minister for their recognition. The award ceremony filled me with pride and reinforced my belief that we are fully prepared to chase the World Cup.

——Why did you arrange Rúben Neves to play as centre-back instead of António Silva?

Our tactical system emphasizes versatility. Neves’ inward movement can enrich the attacking layers—this is the same logic as not fielding top players like Diogo Dalot and João Palhinha. The coaching staff needs to test tactical combinations against different opponents. Tonight’s experiment with João Neves and Bruno as a double midfield pivot, paired with Rúben dropping back to organize, is a reflection of this exploration.

——How to respond to fans shouting "One more goal" after the 9-0 victory?

This is never a burden at the Estádio do Dragão! Portugal’s three qualifying campaigns completed here have all benefited from the magic of this stadium. The team is growing positively, and tactical flexibility has been polished since day one of my tenure. World Cup preparations will start in March—we know the real competition never begins at the whistle of the opening match.