GLASGOW, OCT 15: Cristiano Ronaldo's commitment to international football aged 39 is an example to his team-mates, said Portugal boss Roberto Martinez after the superstar's arrival in Scotland sparked excitement among fans.
Instead of training at Hampden Park, where Portugal face Scotland in the Nations League on Tuesday, the visitors used St Mirren's ground in Paisley for their pre-match preparations.
That led to hundreds of people descending on the SMiSA Stadium eager to get a glimpse of Ronaldo.
"When you arrive in a stadium, in a place like this, I think you get to know the iconic figure and the career of a player that is unique," said Martinez at his pre-match press conference.
"There is not another player with more than 200 caps at international level as an example, the number of goals that he's scored, the trophies that he's achieved.
"For me it's very easy to manage a player that can help the team to win tomorrow. All the rest is something for all of us to enjoy because it's a unique case and I think we can all learn from being close to him."
Ronaldo was often criticised after failing to score as Portugal crashed out of Euro 2024 at the quarter-finals to France. —AFP
