According to a report by Portuguese outlet A Bola, Ricardo Carvalho discussed the management of Cristiano Ronaldo's playing time in the Portugal national team during an appearance on The Obi One Podcast, hosted by his former Chelsea teammate John Obi Mikel. Carvalho explained the difficulties of managing Ronaldo's minutes and admitted that Ronaldo should have been given more opportunities to be rotated off.
Carvalho: “In my opinion, he (Martinez) should have substituted him. But on the other hand, Ronaldo's past achievements deserve all the respect. If you know him, you know he always wants to play. He achieved success precisely because he always wants to be on the pitch, because he firmly believes he can score.”
“It was very difficult for Martinez to make the decision to substitute him, because sometimes he was clearly tired and not tracking back effectively, yet in his own mind he was thinking: 'As long as the ball comes, I can score; as long as there is a free kick, I can score.' That's just the kind of person he is.”
Carvalho also disclosed an episode from Portugal's 5-0 thrashing of Uzbekistan in the second round of the World Cup group stage. At the time, Ronaldo had already scored a brace, and the coaching staff considered substituting him, but he had no desire whatsoever to leave the pitch.
Carvalho: “We were leading 3-0 at the time, and he had already scored twice. The manager was thinking of subbing him off, but Ronaldo said: 'I've only just found my goalscoring touch; I want to score more.' He is never satisfied; two goals were nowhere near enough, he wanted a hat-trick, he wanted four goals.”
“Perhaps it is precisely this competitive spirit that keeps him training, pursuing more success, more goals, and pushing toward the goal of 1,000 career goals. He needs this obsession.”
Even so, Carvalho acknowledged that managing Ronaldo is a dilemma for any head coach. Carvalho: “It's difficult for a coach to keep everyone happy. With a 26-man squad, if you constantly give special treatment to Ronaldo, other forwards waiting for opportunities will have complaints, and it's not good for the team as a whole either. That is an extremely difficult decision to make.”
“In my experience, as players get older, their form worsens the later they are substituted off, because their stamina is depleted and they fail to track back... In my view he should have been substituted earlier, but I am not the head coach. The final decision rested with Martinez, and I think he must have been satisfied with his own decisions. Such things can only be decided in the moment on the pitch.”
Carvalho and Ronaldo were both called up to the Portugal national team in 2003, and he was effusive in his praise of his former teammate's career, considering Ronaldo the finest player overall.
Carvalho: “In my heart he is the best, because his abilities are all-round: both his body and his mind are top-notch. Of course, he is not like Messi, who can produce unbelievable things in one-on-one situations, but with the combination of physical attributes and world-class football IQ, he is in a league of his own, possessing immense impact.”
“He is no longer who he was ten years ago, but during the Real Madrid era, I saw too many incredible performances from him. Go and look at the goals from 2010 to 2013, and in 2015, striking with both feet, unleashing world-class strikes from 30 meters, 20 meters, and 10 meters out. Back then, he was simply astonishing. Of course, we must now acknowledge that he is no longer that same player. He is still very strong, but he is no longer the Ronaldo I knew at Real Madrid.”
Regarding Ronaldo's future with the Portugal national team, Carvalho also offered his view: “He can stay as long as he wants. I think he will play for at least another year. He has his own goals, and his presence itself is incredible. I believe he still wants to continue playing for the national team.”
"He is the footballing symbol of Portugal. I believe everyone at the Portuguese Football Federation is very satisfied with him and well aware of his stature. He is still scoring, still running... this level of persistence is truly rare. As long as he wants to return, the national team's door will always be open—that is my feeling. The final decision rests in his own hands."