It's hard to assume the day before match with Poland, was optimal for the Portuguese players in terms of rest and regeneration. The night won't be long for them either. Coach Roberto Martinez's team reached the Westin hotel in Warsaw late, only after 22.30. Perhaps that's why the guests didn't find much time for it fans.
Standing and… waiting
– How long have you been staying here? – I asked the father and his son, who decided to bravely guard on Friday evening at one of the barriers surrounding a part of the Westin hotel in Warsaw, at al. John Paul II. “An hour and a half,” was the reply. We read that they will land in Warsaw after 7:30 p.m. – added the warmly dressed man.
In the original plan, the Portuguese were actually supposed to arrive at Warsaw's Okęcie airport around 7:30 p.m., and their coach would quickly go to the conference at National Stadium. However, these plans were changed due to the postponement of the flight to the capital of Poland. That day, due to gusty winds, most planes took off or landed with delays from Lisbon airport. The conference was held in Lisbon, and the entire team flew out of the capital just before 5 p.m. Polish time. After an almost 5-hour flight, the 2016 European champions were in Warsaw and went straight from the runway to the five-star Westin hotel in Warsaw. Even though it was already late and the thermometers showed a measly 9* Celsius, there was no shortage of people who wanted to see Ronaldo.
– Some people were here after 1 p.m., I was here from 4 p.m. – said a teenager standing right next to the barrier with a Portuguese flag.
In front of the hotel there were mainly families: dads and moms with children and a lot of teenagers. Many of them with markers, T-shirts and photos of football players. Most of them have the colors of Portugal, but also… Real Madrid and the number 7 with the inscription Ronaldo.
Players such as Bruno Fernandez (Manchester United), Vitinha (PSG), Bernado Silva (Manchester City), Joao Felix (Chelsea), Rafael Leao (AC Milan) and finally Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr).
However, fans may have felt disappointed because none of the players signed autographs outside the hotel. The fans inside were more lucky, as they were mainly hotel guests and stood in the hall in droves, renting rooms just for the arrival of the Portuguese. Ronaldo signed a few autographs here, but he quickly went upstairs, other players also preferred to quickly sneak back to their rooms.
Finally, coach Roberto Martinez talked to Polish journalists. He said that despite the delayed flight, the players were not tired, and reminded that it was an hour earlier in Portugal, so after a quick dinner, the players would go to bed at a reasonable time. Portugal has no plans on Saturday, so it will stay in the hotel all day, and in the evening it will go to the match against Poland at the National Stadium. The match starts at 20:45.