Former winner slams Roberto Martinez for making Portugal’s World Cup the ‘Ronaldo testimonial’

Former World Cup winner Frank Lebouf believes Roberto Martinez let Portugal down by prioritising Cristiano Ronaldo.

With Portugal’s FIFA World Cup campaign now over, head coach Roberto Martinez has come under fire for his management of the team.

In particular, his focus on Cristiano Ronaldo and his involvement with the team has been blamed as one of the biggest reasons for their struggles.

Roberto Martinez criticised for prioritising Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal

Speaking on ESPN FC, Frank Leboeuf, who was part of the World Cup-winning 1998 France squad, called out Roberto Martinez for the way he approached the Round of 16 game.

He believes that playing Ronaldo in such a high-stakes knockout game when he doesn’t help the team was a decision Portugal paid the price for.

“That’s what I regret about it. It was not a Ronaldo testimonial. That was not a game to please him. That was a game to go through.

“That was like seeing Neymar coming on. That’s kind of a tribute. That’s a national team game, and you want to go through. It’s a regret, Ronaldo had some chances with the half-bicycle kick in the first half.

“But he wasn’t productive in the second half, and it would have only been fair to maybe try something with Goncalo Ramos to bring something different. Roberto Martinez didn’t take that opportunity, and he will have to pay the price.”

Craig Burley says Roberto Martinez should be ‘nailed to a mast’ for Cristiano Ronaldo strategy

Former Chelsea player Craig Burley also spoke during the segment and lambasted Martinez for not putting Portugal’s World Cup interests over Ronaldo’s.

“They will nail him to a mast, back in Portugal, about this, they’ve got to. Because it’s not about Ronaldo. It’s not about him playing his last World Cup. It’s not about all that.

“It’s about Portugal and the national team, and this multi-talented squad of players they got. And he made a decision, Roberto Martinez, for the individual, not for the betterment of the team. And they’ve paid the penalty.”

The fallout from Portugal’s World Cup exit has generated a lot of controversy, especially when it comes to Cristiano Ronaldo’s role with the team.

In the weeks to come, there are sure to be consequences for Martinez and the rest of Portugal as they look to put this tournament behind them.

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