"Proud of what?": Ricardo Quaresma Slams Martínez and Clashes with Rúben Dias

Following Portugal's elimination from the 2026 World Cup, after a 0-1 defeat to Spain, Ricardo Quaresma did not hold back in his criticism of national coach Roberto Martínez and the team's performance.

The former Portuguese international questioned the "pride" expressed by the Spanish coach and deemed Portugal's showing "far too little" given the talent available.

"Proud of what? I still don't understand this pride he has," Ricardo Quaresma began, speaking to LiveModeTV. "He was in Belgium with a fantastic generation and never delivered anything. He comes here to Portugal with an incredible generation, and still hasn't delivered anything. We won a Nations League. Are we going to be happy with a Nations League? For me, it's not enough," he vented.

Martínez's departure was, therefore, inevitable. "There are things that infuriate me. If we didn't have talent and quality, it would be fine. But you have immense talent and quality!" he stated, emphasizing that the team's lack of identity is the coach's responsibility: "Whose fault is the identity? The coach's. I still haven't found the right tactic to play."

Analyzing the decisive match at Dallas Stadium, Quaresma pointed to Nuno Mendes' injury as a turning point that allowed Spain to gain control. However, his analysis went deeper, criticizing the Portuguese team's lack of attitude. "Even today, you handed the game over to Spain from start to finish. Spain controlled the entire game, doing whatever they wanted (...) and we were just wandering around without desire, without joy, very slow," he lamented.

The former Portuguese international also assigned responsibility to the players, stating that they "didn't give what they had to give," describing a "very weak" midfield and a "lost defense." Still, the main focus of his criticism remained on the coach. "Martínez never impressed me. He tried 50 tactics, none worked. And there's the proof," he concluded, before adding: "We're out with the national team everyone said was the best of all time... but best of all time in what? What did they do? What did they win?"

During the same broadcast, Quaresma directly confronted Rúben Dias, who considered the match against Spain "one of Portugal's best games" in terms of balance. The former winger disagreed.

"I don't quite agree with what you're saying. From the beginning until now, I think you could have given much more," Quaresma responded to the center-back. "I felt you played too much backward and sideways, with a lot of possession, but without seeking depth. You shot little at goal and created few scoring opportunities, except for the last five minutes. Possession alone doesn't win games."

In turn, Rúben Dias argued that, unlike Spain, which has a unified game concept, it's difficult to find balance in Portugal. "You spent enough time in that context to understand everything that involves the national team: different personalities, different mentalities trying to come together. Bernardo mentioned it, we have excellent individuals, but we don't have a game concept like Spain's. They all think the same way, they all come from the same mold. We have to seek that balance, and that's not easy, because each player thinks differently."

"We have to make the most of our teammates' qualities..." Quaresma interrupted. "We have Rafael Leão, Neto, [Francisco] Conceição, players capable of taking on defenders one-on-one and unbalancing the opponent. It's not just about having possession and exchanging passes. We have to play more forward..."

Rúben Dias continued: "Everyone has their own opinion, but I think it's simplistic to mislead people and convey the message that we don't do it because we don't want to... We played the way we did to find balance. Madness brings nothing positive. Madness makes us chase the ball and go to places we don't control. We need to be objective; that's what we're looking for. It can't be 'boom, boom, boom, all forward.' We want to give our best. And I repeat: it was our best game against Spain since I've been with the National Team."