Ronaldo still ´hungry to be the best´, says Martinez

Cristiano Ronaldo is still “hungry to be the best”, according to Roberto Martinez, who detailed the value of his captain’s experience in the Portugal squad.

Ronaldo is a key figure for Portugal and scored twice as they opened their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 5-0 victory over Armenia on Saturday.

Those goals took his tally up to 942 goals for club and country in his career, with 140 of those coming for Portugal.

Ronaldo, who turned 40 years old in February, has shown no signs of stopping there, with the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico in his sights, having never previously won the tournament.

He recently signed a new contract with Al-Nassr, committing his future to the Saudi Pro League club until 2027, and won a second Nations League title with Portugal in June.

But Martinez denied that Ronaldo’s biggest goal is to win the World Cup, with his main focus being only on the near future.

“He lives day to day like a young player playing for the first time,” Martinez said ahead of Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier against Hungary.

“The way he dedicates himself, the freshness he has every day. He’s a winner. He’s hungry to be the best.

“The World Cup? He’s doing the best he can; he doesn’t have long-term goals. He wants to be the best every day. His focus is on the day-to-day.

“I’ve already talked a lot about what he conveys, but these aren’t aspects of the future; they’re aspects of everyday life. What it means to wear the [Portugal] jersey is the captain’s message in the locker room; it helps a lot.”