The former Belgium boss admitted that the idea of letting CR7 retire from the team will only be decided by the footballer, among other topics.

The press conference where Portugal announced their new coach for the 2023-26 term turned into a Q&A session regarding Cristiano Ronaldo's future, and all questions were replied by none other than A Selecao's new boss, Roberto Martínez.

The 49-year old coach will join the Portuguese side following a six-year spell with Belgium, where he led the Red Devils to their best-ever finish in a World Cup, when the Belgians ended in third place back in 2018. Unfortunately for Martínez, his formula did not work in Qatar, and the Belgian side saw their run in the competition coming to an end after just three matches.

Speaking in his unveiling ceremony with Portugal, Martínez did not hold back when asked about Cristiano Ronaldo's future with the national team, as rumors surrounding the player and his general attitude at the end of Portugal's run in the FIFA World Cup hinted that CR7 would hang his international boots after their quarterfinal exit.

"Football related decisions have to be made on the pitch, not in the office. Our starting point will be the squad for the past Worl Cup and Cristiano was included on that list," Martínez stated.

Then, the coached acknowledged CR7's legacy with the team, urging fans and experts not to disrespect him before he has a chance to speak with him, something that will be happening shortly.

"He's been part of the team for 19 years, and he deserves to have a sit down with us and chat about our plans. We will be having a word tomorrow," Martínez added.

Martínez went on to discuss how he would like to have one of Portugal's former players becoming a part of his staff, maybe to create a similar environment as the one he had in Belgium with Thierry Henry.

"I have a good idea about the structure and the roles for each one in my staff, I will be letting you know in the next few days. I'd love to add a Portuguese assistant, one that played for the team. It will be important for the staff and it will get us up to speed on all things related to Portuguese football," Martínez concluded.