Vieira, while appearing on a recent podcast, called on Martinez to bench Ronaldo in their next World Cup clash if need be.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Former France international Patrick Vieira and ex-Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt have called on Portugal manager Roberto Martinez not to field his captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, to the detriment of the team.
Martinez defended his decision not to sub off the Al-Nassr forward in their disappointing 1-1 draw with DR Congo on Wednesday, and refused to directly address Ronaldo’s largely anonymous showing at his post-match press conference.
Reacting to questions after the game, the Spanish tactician pinned the blame for the stalemate on an apparent lack of support in attack.
He said: “We have to utilise all the players on the pitch. The lead attacker [Ronaldo] needs to be close to the six-yard box and we need to get the ball to him.”
Wading in on the saga, Vieira, while appearing on the latest edition of The Rest Is Football podcast, called on Martinez to bench Ronaldo in their next World Cup clash against Uzbekistan if need be.
He noted that the legacy of the Portugal star could be rubbished a little bit if he is substituted after starting the encounter.
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The Arsenal legend further urged the Spanish tactician to think about the Portugal team first and not the 41-year-old forward.
Speaking on the show, Vieira said: “He [Martinez] has to think about the team first before thinking about Ronaldo. So he will have to make a really strong decision not to start him if the team is better without him.
“I worry for him [Ronaldo], his legacy will be spoiled a little bit if he kicks off and he gets taken off, because for two decades he has been an extraordinarily wonderful footballer.”
Similarly, Butt, while speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, noted the Portugal manager has a ‘massive problem’ on his hands because Ronaldo has an ego.
“I think he’s got that much of an ego, Cristiano. He’s a great lad but he’s got such an ego and he’ll be a massive problem for that squad,” he said.
Butt added: “It was a problem when he came back to Manchester United for a second time.
“If you look at the fans [for Portugal’s draw with DR Congo] last night, they had around 20,000 Portuguese fans and I reckon 18,000 had ‘Ronaldo 7’ on their back, so you’ve also got that to deal with as a manager as well.”
