"Wtf is this", "The coach is in love with him" - Fans unhappy with Portugal star's inclusion in XI as Cristiano Ronaldo captains side against Ireland

Portugal fans on social media were left in disbelief after head coach Roberto Martinez picked Bernardo Silva in the frontline alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Felix for their game against Ireland. They believe the Manchester City star should be on the bench as he does not offer much from the start.

Diogo Costa keeps his place as the goalkeeper, with Roberto Martinez going with a 4-3-3 formation today. Joao Cancelo and Diogo Dalot start as the full-backs with Goncalo Inacio and Ruben Dias as the center-backs.

Joao Nevez, Ruben Neves, and Vitinha are the midfielders today, with Cristiano Ronaldo leading the attack. Bernardo Silva and Joao Felix are the wingers today, and it has got the Portugal fans talking.

Mandy posted about the decision to pick the Manchester City star and posted:

Roberto Martinez is looking forward to facing Ireland and said (via Irish Times):

“Defensively, they are very strong and physical. It is a team that is very direct and we need to be very aware of winning our duels and also of the second balls. They are very good at winning them, leading to chances.

“We know that set pieces are a big part of their game and we are very aware of the qualities of their players. We need to give them no space and at the same time we need to play our game and try to command the game.”

Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal beat Ireland 1-0 in the previous meeting, with Ruben Neves scoring a late winner in Lisbon.

Roberto Martinez warns Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal squad

Portugal manager Roberto Martinez spoke about Ireland while naming his squad for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers earlier this season, issuing a warning to his players. He told the Cristiano Ronaldo-led squad that they cannot take the opponents lightly and said (via Independent):

“Ireland needs to win, and the atmosphere we’re going to find will also be a challenge. It’s important to remember that November is always a difficult stage for Portugal, I don’t know why, but it’s always a difficult period. Even so, our focus is on qualifying for the World Cup – the ninth in Portugal's history.

“Then, we have to think about improving. I think we played a good game against Hungary, but we want to improve on the last 20 minutes of that match and learn to control the game better. Now, we want to win both games and then think about the future. In the September training camp we got six points and four in October, which was very good, but we need to do more in these two games.”

Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal can seal their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a win over Ireland.

Edited by Sripad