Paul Scholes has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo has become a 'bit of a problem' for Portugal and 'it's not right' that the 41-year-old superstar continues to lead the line for his country. Ronaldo equalled Lionel Messi's record of appearing at six separate World Cups when he captained Portugal in their opening group-stage match against DR Congo on Wednesday.
Portugal's Stuttering Start
Roberto Martinez boasts a star-studded squad, and the 2025 Nations League winners are considered strong contenders for the trophy alongside France, Spain, England, and reigning champions Argentina. However, despite Joao Neves scoring in the sixth minute to give Portugal a dream start, Martinez's side failed to capitalise on their dominance in Houston. Newcastle's Yoane Wissa headed an equaliser just before half-time, and Portugal could not find a winner, settling for a point.
It was a night to forget for Ronaldo. He failed to create chances, take shots, successfully dribble past opponents, or win a single duel in a disappointing first-half performance. Despite this, Martinez kept Ronaldo on the pitch for the full 90 minutes, substituting Pedro Neto, Vitinha, Bernardo Silva, Tomas Araujo, and Nuno Mendes instead.
Scholes' Criticism
'I think it's difficult for the manager,' Scholes said on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast. 'I did a Stick to Football with Roberto Martinez and I asked him off-camera, I said, "Is he a problem for you?", because I feel he is a little bit of a problem. At 41 years of age… I think there's only one position on the pitch at 41 years of age where you should be starting a game and that's goalkeeper, for me. Now look, he is going to score goals and he's in a team that have a lot of possession, but once there's a game where it has to be transition… and there will be games like that. His movement at 41 years of age…'
Scholes, who shared a dressing room with Ronaldo for six years at Manchester United, feels sorry for Martinez and believes the five-time Ballon d'Or winner would be more effective coming off the bench. 'The trouble with Portugal is they haven't really got an outstanding centre-forward anyway, have they? You've got to have somebody who runs. For me, he has to be a player for the last 15 minutes. For a 40 or 41-year-old to be playing centre-forward, I just don't get it. You might get away with it at centre-half, you might do in a team that keeps the ball and you probably get away with it as a goalkeeper, but as a centre-forward at 41… it's not right. We saw it with Croatia and Luka Modric last night at 40 years old. Central midfield at 40… Cristiano will be so pissed off because Lionel Messi got a hat-trick, Kylian Mbappe got two… it will be killing him. I feel sorry for Martinez because he's trying to embrace it and he's saying, "No, I've got the best goalscorer in the world", but deep down he must know that's hurting his team.'
Butt's Agreement
Nicky Butt, another former Manchester United teammate, agreed that Martinez has a 'massive problem'. '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 was when he came back to Manchester United for a second time, it was a problem. 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.'
Ronaldo's Response
With calls for Martinez to drop Ronaldo from the starting XI intensifying, the forward addressed Portugal's fans on Instagram. 'Not the start we wanted. But this is far from over. Head up and focus on the next game.'
Martinez, however, avoided direct questions about Ronaldo's performance. '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.' When asked if he considered substituting Ronaldo, Martinez stressed the veteran's experience. 'It makes no sense to get the best goalscorer in world football out in a game that you need goals. For us in moments like this, the experience of Cristiano in the box is important. The way that he attracts defenders is important, the way that we can use the space is important. And every player has a responsibility or a piece of quality on the pitch. And clearly when you look for goals, you need to have Cristiano.'
