Ronaldo had a disappointing tournament, failing to score in any matches except for the shootouts. After their exit, Martinez told Reuters that it was too soon to discuss Ronaldo’s retirement from international football.

“Pepe is everything he showed in the tournament, not just during the matches, but the way he works through training sessions, the way he supports his colleagues, his commitment,” Martinez said.

“And his tears are tears of frustration. Because when you play against the better opponents, there’s no tears. The tears are there because it’s hard to accept that tonight with our performance, we will drop by the wayside.”

“But other than that, Pepe is a role model in Portuguese football and what he did tonight and during the tournament will stay with us, with the next generations.”

Portugal’s defeat came after Joao Felix missed his penalty kick. Martinez attributed Felix’s miss to bad luck. Pepe was in tears after the match and had to be consoled by Ronaldo. Martinez explained that Pepe’s tears were due to frustration, as the team had played well, and praised the former Real Madrid defender as a role model for Portuguese football.

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