“Messi hasn’t scored in Copa America and I haven’t heard a sniff” - Rio Ferdinand on whether Cristiano Ronaldo should leave Portugal team
Rio Ferdinand has jumped in defense of his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo and questioned why the critics do not attack Lionel Messi. He admitted that the Portuguese superstar has not done well at EURO 2024 but it has been the same for the Argentine at Copa America.
Speaking on his YouTube channel 'FIVE,' Ferdinand claimed that the critics have been disrespectful of Ronaldo. He believes that they have turned a blind eye to Messi's performances with Argentina. He said:
“He [Ronaldo] didn’t have a good tournament. He didn’t play well to the levels that he played [before]. You are [being disrespectful when you say he must leave the national team]. For what he’s done, you can’t be saying that, I don’t care. They [should] just let him go out, when he wants to go out. What was Portugal doing before Cristiano Ronaldo? Messi hasn’t scored in the Copa America and I haven’t heard a sniff.”
Cristiano Ronaldo did not score at EURO 2024 in normal or extra time. He did manage to find the back of the net in the penalty shootout, while Lionel Messi has not scored at Copa America and missed his penalty in the shootout vs Ecuador in the quarterfinal.
Roberto Martinez was blasted by pundit for not dropping Cristiano Ronaldo
Former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton was furious with Roberto Martinez for not dropping Cristiano Ronaldo despite his poor performances. He believes that the manager was a coward and was not thinking for the team.
He wrote on the Daily Mail:
"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."
He added:
"Eventually, a manager must realise when a player is not benefiting the team, no matter who it is. You have to be brave enough to make difficult decisions without worrying whom you might upset."
"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."
Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal were knocked out of EURO 2024 via a 5-3 penalty shootout scoreline by France. Lionel Messi's Argentina are in the semifinal of the Copa America and will face Canada on 9 July.