According to The Athletic, the 41-year-old Ronaldo started in every group stage match at the FIFA World Cup. To many observers, it's hard to tell whether Martinez is the team's head coach or simply an obsessed Ronaldo fan. But the reality is that Portugal genuinely lacks a quality alternative centre-forward.

The report stated: Is this Miami Gardens or Barranquilla, Colombia? Honestly, it's hard to tell. A sea of yellow was erected inside Hard Rock Stadium, as Colombian fans wearing the jerseys of Carlos Valderrama, Andrés Escobar, and James Rodríguez created waves of yellow.

The flight time from Bogotá to Miami is comparable to that from New York—a short journey of less than four hours. The proximity to home, combined with the large Colombian expatriate population settled in Florida, made tickets for this crucial Group K decider the most sought-after of the group stage.

Ronaldo remained another focal point, both as the core brand of Portugal's national team and as a draw for tens of millions of followers worldwide. Yet when Ronaldo emerged for his warm-up and his face appeared on the stadium's big screen, the stadium erupted in jeers.

The match was clearly Colombia's home game, compounding Portugal's difficulties in breaking down their opponents.

Martinez based the team in nearby Palm Beach to prepare, allowing players to adapt to Florida's hot and humid climate beforehand. Two years prior, Colombia played in the Copa América final at this same stadium; as runners-up in that tournament, they had a strong record and were already familiar with the environment.

While the U.S. East Coast was cold and gloomy that day, with England facing Panama in rainy New Jersey, Miami was scorching. Even with a strong Portuguese squad on paper, the match seemed destined to be difficult from the start.

Yet Portugal's level of struggle on the pitch still exceeded expectations.

Colombia did not field their full starting lineup in this match.

Head coach Néstor Lorenzo made three rotations: Luis Suárez, who scored 38 goals across all competitions for Sporting Portugal last season, was left out of the starting eleven; left-back Daniel Muñoz was benched after scoring in the previous two matches against DR Congo and Uzbekistan; and Johan Mojica was one yellow card away from suspension, so the coaching staff chose not to risk playing him.

Joao Lucumi and Jefferson Lerma also carried yellow card risk, but they remained in the lineup. Players knew that every action at Hard Rock Stadium felt like walking a tightrope; a yellow card suspension meant missing the Round of 32 match against Ghana.

In theory, this should have favored Portugal, but the reality proved the opposite.

Martinez had one of the tournament's best midfield configurations. In this match, he did not start João Neves, instead opting to field similarly-named Rúben Neves alongside Vitinha. Vitinha maintained a 100% pass completion rate throughout the match. Nevertheless, Martinez acknowledged: "We failed to control the tempo of the game and could not maximize the individual capabilities of our players."

Portugal's best player that night, and the Man of the Match recipient, was goalkeeper Diogo Costa. Colombia registered 24 shots throughout the match, setting a new team record for shots in a single FIFA World Cup match, surpassing the 23 shots against the United States in 1994—the tragic classic match in which Andrés Escobar scored an own goal.

Had it not been for goalkeeper Costa and a crucial decision by assistant referee Andrew Lindsay in extra time—correctly ruling out Davinson Sánchez's goal for offside by a matter of inches—Portugal would have lost this match.

According to Martinez, Colombia securing top spot in the group was not a major concern, even if it meant Portugal's Round of 32 opponent changed from Ghana to Croatia, and their potential next opponent shifted from Switzerland and Algeria to Spain. "Winning, losing, or drawing today doesn't matter," he said. "Our goal is to play eight matches, and it doesn't matter who the opponent is."

Martinez stated that he treated the group stage as a preparation and refinement phase for the knockout rounds. In each group stage match, he made substitutions in the first half, and all 22 players in the squad have received playing time, with only one having played every minute. Ronaldo played the full 90 minutes in every match. Against Colombia, he was repeatedly caught offside despite having promising opportunities; defensively, he rarely retreated, only making minimal efforts to participate in corner kick defense; after the water break, his first touch resulted in a turnover.

Before the match, a Ronaldo impersonator in full kit awaited him in the player tunnel; after the final whistle, an influencer in the mixed zone extended his hand for a fist bump, and after Ronaldo reciprocated, the influencer dropped to his knees on the spot, crying with joy.

To many observers, it's difficult to distinguish whether Martinez is the team's coach or simply another one of Ronaldo's numerous followers. He consistently and firmly backed Ronaldo, not only because the veteran scored two goals against Uzbekistan in the second group stage match, but also because memories from last summer remain fresh: the now 41-year-old star scored consecutive goals against Germany and Spain in the UEFA Nations League semi-final and final.

When asked whether he would follow Scaloni's example of resting Messi or rotate like Norway did with Haaland, and rest Ronaldo in the third group stage match, Martinez insisted: "We will not make lineup decisions by comparing our players to outsiders; that's childish and unprofessional. We observe the dynamics on the pitch in real-time and adjust our lineup based on daily training performance. There's always room for adjustment. In this match, we had João Neves and Rúben Neves each play 45 minutes, and we also rotated Diogo Dalot and João Cancelo.

The key is for players to maintain mental stability, adhere to their positional discipline on the pitch, and create space for team attacks. In this match, Ronaldo was physically and mentally capable of playing the full 90 minutes. Adjustments may be made for the next match, and the same standard applies to him as to other players; everything is based on performance data."

However, fans at Hard Rock Stadium disagreed with this narrative, and none called for Gonçalo Ramos, the only striker on the bench, to replace Ronaldo.

Four years ago at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Ramos appeared to have ended Ronaldo's career as a starter for the national team: in the Round of 16 match at Lusail Stadium, Ramos replaced him in the starting lineup and scored a hat-trick as Portugal defeated Switzerland 6-1. At 21 years old, he shone brightly and was considered the future of the attack.

The following summer, he left Benfica for PSG for a €65 million transfer fee (equivalent to £56 million and $74 million USD at the time). This week, AC Milan broke their club transfer record to sign him, with an even higher fee.

Now, with two Champions League trophies, Ramos is not a regular starter for his club, despite scoring PSG's first penalty in the Champions League final shootout in May; he managed only six goals in Ligue 1 last season. Against DR Congo, Martinez gave Ramos just eight minutes of playing time, in a partnership role with Ronaldo rather than as a replacement, making it difficult for him to make an impact in such a brief appearance.

Besides Ronaldo, does Portugal have other centre-forward options? Essentially no, unless they deploy a winger like Leao as a false nine.

At this FIFA World Cup, Ronaldo has oscillated between legend and liability, and Martinez has no strong competitor to choose from, nor is he seriously considering rotation options.

The Spanish-born coach promised to review group stage performance and make necessary adjustments when the knockout rounds begin.

For now, if you want to bet on which team will progress further in this tournament, you only need to listen to the voices of the fans at Hard Rock Stadium to know the answer.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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