In the latest move, defender Joao Cancelo made a statement that “stunned” everyone regarding Cristiano Ronaldo.

There is no doubt that Cristiano Ronaldo is the leader who has carried the Portuguese team for more than 15 years. However, with increasing age, CR7 will soon no longer wear the national team shirt. Despite his constant efforts to move forward, Ronaldo’s value is now gone for some players, including defender Joao Cancelo.

Earlier this week, the Barcelona star spoke about the national team’s dependence on Cristiano Ronaldo, and affirmed that Portugal is not dependent on captain Al Nassr. Cancelo said:

” He is an important player and spent 15 years competing with Messi for the Ballon d’Or, but the peak of a footballer’s career is between the ages of 25 and 32. He is a football player. An important player for us, but I’m also a national player so I know the team doesn’t depend entirely on him.”

Cancelo’s statement was a big surprise as Cristiano Ronaldo was the player who scored the most goals for Portugal last year. This 1985-born striker played an important role in the Euro Qualifiers, scoring 10 goals to help Seleccao finish the qualifiers undefeated, winning tickets to the group stage of the tournament.

Even Erling Haaland, who has shined in the past few years, could not do the same when playing for the national team. Therefore, downplaying Cristiano Ronaldo’s importance to the national team does not seem wise!

Previously, Portugal’s head coach surprised everyone before the upcoming clash with Sweden. In a surprising turn of events, Roberto Martinez has dropped Cristiano Ronaldo along with Diogo Dalot, Joao Cancelo, Danilo Pereira, Otavio, Ruben Neves, Vitinha and Joao Felix from the squad to play against Sweden.

This decision was made as an important statement, as fans expected this coach to launch his best squad to find suitable players before the upcoming Euros.

However, it seems that Martinez’s decision has nothing to do with the players’ performance. Many sources believe that Cristiano Ronaldo, along with other teammates, were simply given the opportunity to rest.

Captain Al Nassr is enjoying a short vacation with his family while the Saudi Pro League is on break for international tournaments. Ronaldo has been very busy lately with Al Nassr’s schedule and therefore, this decision will give him some much-needed rest..