Cristiano Ronaldo set to be unleashed against Scotland reveals Roberto Martinez

ROBERTO MARTINEZ says he has no fears about unleashing 39-year-old “icon” Cristiano Ronaldo against Scotland at Hampden tonight.

The Portugal captain is set to win his 216th cap in the Nations League crunch. 

4

Ronaldo – who’s scored in all three of Portugal’s Group 1 games – played for just over an hour in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Poland in Warsaw. 

But Martinez – who swapped jokes with former Motherwell team-mate, St Mirren CEO Keith Lasley before his side trained at Saints’ SMISA Stadium – said: “Cristiano is here to work hard to help the team win the game.

“As coach you get to know the iconic figure and the career of a player who’s unique. 

“There isn’t another player with more than 200 caps at international level. 

“Then there are the number of goals he’s scored, the trophies he’s achieved. 

“For me it’s very easy to manage a player who can help the team win. All the rest is something for all of us to enjoy because he’s a unique case and I think we can all learn from being close to him. 

“The age of a player doesn’t come into play. Ronaldo doesn’t work like a 39-year-old player and he certainly doesn’t play like a 39-year-old player. 

“We will have a team to start the game and a team to finish the game. 

“Cristiano played 60 minutes in the first game but it’s very difficult to play two games in 72 hours.

“But I have no doubt that Cristiano can be involved in the second game. 

“I don’t know if he can start or finish but he can be involved, as he showed in our last camp.”

And Martinez admitted he expects an even more frenzied atmosphere tonight than the near-57,000 crowd Ronaldo and co. helped silence as they cemented their place at the top of the group.

He said: “The atmosphere in Poland was good but I think the atmosphere here in Glasgow will be even stronger. 

“We are talking about a Scotland team that won against Spain, a team that’s growing a lot, that believes in what they do.

“They give everything until the end. Against Poland, they lost a penalty in the 94th minute. 

“Against Croatia, they scored a goal in the last minute and unfortunately it didn’t count. 

4

“So Scotland’s results don’t show what they have done in the group so far.

“I have no doubts Steve Clarke will start to get results.

“It’s difficult for me to show sympathy for the difficult run he’s on when I want to win the game. “But Scotland has come up with a formula of a high-energy game. 

“They’re a team with a lot of quality and to get that mix is very difficult.

“It takes very little for them to score goals, as we saw in Lisbon. They’re very well-organised in dead-ball situations and quick counter-attacks.

4

“And then you have the quality of players like McTominay and Gilmour, who have the ability of producing that excellent final pass. 

“So I have no doubts Steve Clarke is building something very special. 

“He’s already achieved a very successful team who qualified for the European Championships.

“The results will come if the performances stay at this level.”

Martinez famously met wife Beth when he was in Scotland and he admitted: “I’ve coached against Scottish teams before and I think we’re in a period of respectful silence!

“This is the fifth time we’ve faced one another and we’ve learned to compromise. 

“My in-laws are going to wear the kilt and the Portuguese top!”

Our New YouTube Channel

Subscribe to our new Scottish Sun Sport YouTube channel for all the latest football news, views and amazing moments.

We’ve got every major development covered from Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Hibs, Aberdeen and the rest of the Scottish Premiership.

Plus we have TWO brilliant new podcasts to watch every week…

MONDAY

Go Ballistic with Roger Hannah and special guest Kris Boyd will dissect all the weekend action and deliver their no-holds-barred reaction.

WEDNESDAY

Robert Grieve and Bill Leckie chew over the tastiest topics in Scottish football and offer their unique takes in their Coffee Club.

FRIDAY

Go Ballistic is back with Roger Hannah and top tipster Jim Delahunt looking ahead to the weekend games and analysing the biggest talking points.

Subscribe now and don’t miss a thing.

Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page