Cristiano Ronaldo hailed for Portugal “commitment” by Roberto Martinez

The new Portugal manager looks forward to working with his team’s captain.

Cristiano Ronaldo is a “role model” of Portuguese football, according to national team manager Roberto Martinez.

Having replaced Fernando Santos after the World Cup, Martinez is preparing Portugal for their Euro qualifiers. The Spanish manager is already impressed with Ronaldo’s work rate and his commitment to the national team.

Speaking in a press conference on Saturday, he said of Ronaldo: “Playing in a non-European club is sometimes an advantage when playing in the national team. We have three ways of analysing a player: individual quality, experience and commitment.

“Cristiano’s commitment is complete. He is an example for the locker room, an example for Portuguese and world football. He has played 198 matches for the national team.

“Cristiano and [veteran FC Porto defender] Pepe are role models of Portuguese football, and we need them to pass all the experience and wisdom to the youngest players. Like any other player, he [Ronaldo] needs to train well in order to play. We need a high-performance environment with competition for our players.”

Ronaldo has maintained his brilliant form since joining Al Nassr last winter. In his 16 Saudi Pro League appearances last season, CR7 registered 14 goals and two assists.

Portugal will host Bosnia and Herzegovina on Saturday before travelling to Iceland for their next Euro qualifier three days later.