“I’m surprised he’s standing up straight” - Ex-Chelsea forward says 'puppet' Robert Martinez has no 'backbone' to drop Cristiano Ronaldo
Former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton has lashed out at Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez for not dropping Cristiano Ronaldo from the starting XI in Euro 2024 fixtures. Sutton stated that Martinez lacked the backbone to bench Ronaldo despite the Al-Nassr superstar's underwhelming performances for the national team.
He wrote in his column for Daily Mail:
"But really, I'm looking at Roberto Martinez, someone with such a lack of backbone that I'm surprised he's standing up straight in the technical area. He almost seems scared to axe Ronaldo, who might as well be named Portugal's manager with the amount of carte blanche he is being gifted in Germany."
Sutton also felt that any manager must be brave enough to make difficult decisions for the team's benefit. He indicated that Martinez has been unable to do so by consistently including Cristiano Ronaldo in his starting XI.
Further, Sutton criticized Ronaldo's performance in Portugal's Round of 16 clash against Slovenia, adding that he was pulling the team back.
"He [Ronaldo] was more of a hindrance to the team than a help, and that is being enabled by the puppet that is Martinez," Sutton added.
Roberto Martinez has included Cristiano Ronaldo in the starting line-up for all of Portugal's Euro 2024 matches till now. The Portuguese ace, who is yet to score, missed a crucial extra-time penalty against Slovenia in the Round of 16 match. However, he redeemed himself by scoring in the shootout, which the Selecao won 3-0.
Portugal will next face France in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals on Friday, July 5.
Chris Sutton calls Cristiano Ronaldo's performance against Slovenia "shrouded in selfishness"
In his column for Daily Mail, Chris Sutton was quite critical of Cristiano Ronaldo's performance against Slovenia. He admitted that although the Real Madrid legend has had one of the best careers in football, his performance in the Round of 16 clash was selfish.
"Nobody is disputing that Ronaldo had the most magnificent career imaginable. But on Monday night, he looked like the kid who brings the ball down to the local park and then when he's had enough, he sticks it up his jumper and goes home so no one else can play. It was a performance shrouded in selfishness, becoming more embarrassing every time he fluffed a free-kick while Bruno Fernandes stood idly by," the former player wrote.
Speaking of Ronaldo's emotional reaction after missing the penalty during extra-time, Sutton said it was a testament to the fact that he was not immune to pressure.
Sutton believed striker Goncalo Ramos, who scored a hat-trick against Switzerland in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, deserves to start in Cristiano Ronaldo's place
Former Portugal manager Fernando Santos took the bold decision to bench Ronaldo during the World Cup in Qatar. The Selecao were eliminated by Morocco in the quarter-finals.
Sutton also mentioned Portuguese forwards Diogo Jota and Joao Felix, who have been benched in Euro 2024. The former Chelsea striker believed one of the two could benefit Portugal if started ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.