Nélson Semedo: "I think the Portuguese people should thank Martínez"

Speaking in the mixed zone at Dallas Stadium, Nélson Semedo admitted that Portugal "could have done better" against Spain, a result that led to their elimination from the 2026 World Cup.

"We're sad about the elimination. We wanted to go as far as possible. Now, we need to hold our heads high; we're off on vacation. It's about recovering and coming back stronger. All Portuguese generations have been good. We were the generation that won the Euros and two Nations Leagues. They need to keep believing in us. There are games that don't go our way. We played against different teams that demanded different things from us. We need to see what wasn't positive and analyze it. We have a great team, but I have to congratulate my teammates for their commitment," he stated. The player was then asked to deliver a farewell message to Roberto Martínez.

"I thank him for his time with the national team; I think all Portuguese people should thank him. We won a Nations League against this Spain, which is a great team. Obviously, things don't always go well, but I think most things went very well, so he deserves our gratitude," he affirmed, before being confronted about Bruno Fernandes's comments that opponents "should fear" Portugal more.

"We need to try to improve, see what we didn't do well, and self-critique this World Cup because we have a great national team, and perhaps we know we can do a little more, but overall, I think we performed well," he noted, revealing that Cristiano Ronaldo spoke to the entire team after the match: "He spoke to everyone, and we can only thank him."